


Altissia Holiday

by AlyxRae



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Prophecy (Final Fantasy XV), Coming Out, Fictober 2019, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Light Angst, Like very light angst, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Photography, Vacation, i just want mah boys to be happy, or really an attempt at humor lol, this is mostly sunshine and falling in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2020-11-16 14:54:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 31,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20848154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyxRae/pseuds/AlyxRae
Summary: While on vacation in Altissia, Noctis is determined to forget about his royal status and just enjoy the ocean side city as a normal person. When he runs into the talented photographer, Prompto, the prince decides to change his plans.





	1. "It will be fun, trust me."

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Fictober everyone :D  
I've taken all the prompts for this month and am challenging myself to use them for each chapter, so it'll be one big story. Some of the entries might be pretty brief, others might be longer, but i'm going to try and post everyday.  
Now, this little story is partially inspired by the movie Roman Holiday, about a princess and a reporter gallivanting through Rome and falling in love. (Highly recommend, btw. It stars Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck). Idk how closely I'll follow the movie, but i just thought that the premise was such a fun fit for these peeps, y'know?  
Anywho, hope you enjoy! :D

It was not the first time the young prince had visited this small museum. He remember going when he was much younger with his mother, back when the place first opened. Queen Aulea had a passion for art and worked for years to get the place up and running.

It was different from the typical larger than life gallery that Noctis was use too. At only two stories tall, the art displayed was all from local artist in the area. A citywide call for artists went out once every three years. Anyone could apply. From kids who were just learning how blend colors to adults who created works in their spare time. It was a truly a place for the community. Created by the queen purely for her people.

Noctis didn’t want to admit it, but he was glad Ignis made him get up early to be there. His late mother’s style and personal touches were everywhere. However, he was less thrilled about the reason he was forced to be there.

“Your Highness? I believe we are needed in the atrium.” Ignis had been waiting nearby while Noctis made his way through the different exhibits.

“Do we have to?” he sighed.

“Yes.”

The prince groaned.

“Come now. At least this interview is more casual then the last. I promise, this will be fun.”

Noctis gave his advisor a dry look.

“Well, perhaps not. But what I can promise is that this will be your last bit of duty before our trip to Altissia.”

At the mention of his future vacation, Noctis felt the tension in his shoulders lessen. A whole week in the beautiful city of Altissia. Free from meetings and training and fancy dinners. Noctis and his small retinue would be free to go wherever they wanted in the city. Try all sorts of crazy street food or ride the gondolas all day long. Noctis had even done some research and discovered that they could take a boat out into the sea for some fishing.

Sure, at the end of the week, his father and the rest of the crown representatives would arrive, but that hardly mattered. Noctis hadn’t had so much free time for himself in ages. It was a surprise when his dad even suggested he go early. A good surprise. 

Every few years, the kingdoms would renegotiate their trade agreements. Tweak a few things here and there, update an idea that had expired and similar things like that. It was all very boring to the young prince, but necessary to keep the peace. A good chunk of these events were for PR. It looked good seeing the leaders of different countries getting along and sharing a meal. It was all the new would be talking about for weeks, maybe even months afterwards. However, before all that, Prince Noctis got to be just Noct and explore the city on his own. He didn’t even know how to begin to thank his father for making all the arrangements.

Altissia sounded like the perfect getaway, and Noctis couldn’t wait to leave. All he had to do was get this interview out of the way and he’d be free to pack and plan.

One tiny little interview. For a fluffy little celebrity magazine.

Noctis grimace to himself. He didn’t much care for sitting down with these bubbly interviewers while they asked him questions about his love life or details about his new penthouse outside of the Citadel. Noctis couldn’t really bring himself to care for any interview really. But even though he was royalty, in the eyes of many he was also a celebrity. People clamored for information about celebrities, and the crown was apparently more than happy to oblige.

(That’s actually a lie, as Noctis found out fairly quickly. Apparently, this particular publication had been hounding Noctis’ PR team for literal _years_. They finally decided appease the magazine with this short interview.)

Before entering the atrium, Ignis checked Noctis’ appearance. The advisor swept a loose strand of hair back in place and straitened the collar of his jacket once more before nodding.

“I daresay you actually look like a gentlemen, Noct.” Ignis commented.

“Only because you picked my outfit.”

“Quite. Though I can’t help but hope that one day you might learn something from my effort.”

“Fat chance.” Another voice joined the conversation. Gladio, looking a little stuffy in his official uniform, towered over the prince and the advisor. “Prince Charmless here would probably wear sweatpants to his own coronation if he was left in charge.”

“This is treason.” Noctis grumbled.

“It’s the truth.” Gladio countered, snickering.

“Enough bickering,” Ignis interrupted. “We have a schedule to keep. Also, I might agree with Gladio on this one, Noct.”

The prince sighed. “I’m firing both of you.”

“I hardly think you could survive a week without us, your highness.”

“Totally fired.”


	2. "Just follow me. I know the area."

A mere twenty minutes before the interview was supposed to start, Prompto was sent on an errand. It seemed a little weird that Vyv would send the photographer out onto the streets to try to find their reporter, but like his boss said, Prompto was fast. He was probably the only one able to navigate these streets quick enough to get back in time. With that in mind, the young photographer hurried down the steps to try and find the wayward reporter.

It didn’t take too long to locate the compact blue car parked on the side of road. Prompto hurried to the vehicle and waved to the woman sitting in the front seat. She smiled in relief.

The women hopped out, her grin even wider. “Prompto! Thank goodness, it’s you! I hardly recognized you with your glasses.”

“Heya!” he greeted, self-consciously adjusting his glasses. He wasn’t really fond of the round frames. “Glad I found you, Tawney. Vyv was about lose it. I think his head was ready to explode.”

The woman huffed. “Well next time we snag an interview with the prince, maybe we’ll do it, oh I don’t know, in a studio like normal?”

Prompto chuckled. “Aw c’mon, this will be nice. Shake things up a bit, y’know?”

Tawney rolled her eyes. “Come on, get in. You’re going to be my GPS. This neighborhood is a maze.”

“No worries. Just follow my lead. I’m an expert in this area.”

Prompto hopped in the passage seat of the car and buckled his seatbelt. He guided the stressed reporter through the winding streets until the familiar sight of the museum came into view. Tawney pulled up to the main entrance, flashed her media badge to the security guard, and pulled into parking garage. They arrived just in time.

The photographer and the reporter hurried to the atrium. A stressed out looking Vyv was pacing on the tile floor. When he noticed his two employees, his relief was palpable. 

“It’s about time! You gave me a heart attack, Tawney.”

The reporter brushed passed Vyv with a scowl. “Are we ready to go?”

“Yeah, over here.”

While Vyv lead Tawney to a comfortable looking seating area, Prompto made his way to a table off to the side. There were a few people lingering around. PA’s and some of the prince’s guards. Piled on and around the table was their equipment. A few lights and computers, several different microphones to record the whole thing, and most importantly his camera.

Prompto’s camera was hands down the most important thing he owned. It was his lively hood, his passion. It was his most prized possession. It took nearly his four years to save up for the professional piece of equipment, but it was all worth it in the end. Prompto was able to make a living right out of high school working as a freelance photographer. All that exposer landed him a pretty good job with Vyv. For the first time in his life, Prompto didn’t have to worry about money. He was comfortable. And it was all thanks to his trusty camera.

With practice motions, Prompto took his camera out of its padded bag and began checking it over. He took a few test shots of the room. Then he snapped a few pictures of his coworkers. After switching out his lenses for a different one, the young photographer was finally satisfied with the images.

Tawney was in the middle of her final preparations. She sat in a plush chair with her notes on her lap. Prompto liked the way the casual position suited her and took a quick picture. Suddenly, the air in the room changed.

Along the wall, one of the few Crownsguard stationed there strode over to Vyv. Prompto took snap shot of the remaining guards and then focused his attention on the hall where the prince would be entering from.

Prompto had covered crown related events before, but nothing this small. Usually it was big speeches or grand parties where there were lines of flashing cameras. This was the first time it was just him. Prompto gulped. He couldn’t screw this up.

One of the prince’s retinue rounded the corner first. Prompto took a hand full of pictures, always on the side that the more the merrier when it comes to these types of things. The man leading the prince was tall and intimidating in his uniform. His eyes swept the room naturally, like it was normal for a person to seek out threats when entering a new space. Prompto realized that for him, it must be.

The prince came next, walking side by side with another member of his entourage. The man looked far more put together then Prompto could ever hope to be. A trim hair style and perfectly tailored suite, the man could very well be some sort of royalty himself. A few more clicks of the camera.

Finally, the prince. Noctis Lucis Caelum. It would be impossible not to know who he was. Dark hair, blue eyes…he was the picture perfect example of Lucis blood. Of royal pedigree. His posture was professional, his appearance utterly perfect, and his smile gracious and warm like any royal’s should be. He was…there was no real word for it.

Prompto’s camera shutter hadn’t stopped clicking since the prince had stepped into the room. Vyv wanted to have a whole books worth of photos and Prompto was more than doubling that request.

This wasn’t the first time Prompto had watched the prince from his camera lens. Judging by the way his career was going, he guessed this wouldn’t be the last either. Prompto wondered if he’d ever get over the rush of excited he felt every time when he was in the same room as the prince. Probably not.

Prince Noctis sat across from Tawney with a polite smile. Prompto made sure to get a handful of shots when the two of them shook hands. The rest of the interview didn’t even phase Prompto. All he seemed capable of doing was waiting for the perfect shot.

In no time at all, the interview was over. Prompto glanced down at his watched and nearly laughed. A whole hour had passed and he didn’t even realize it. He took a few more shots of Tawney and the Prince and then headed back to the equipment table.

Just before the prince left, Prompto turned to catch a final look. Deep blue eyes meet his own.

Prompto didn’t know what to do. Should he smile? Wave? No, he couldn’t wave that was dumb. What are people supposed to do when they accidentally make eye contact with royalty?

The prince seemed to decide for him. Prince Noctis gave him a small smile. It was different from before. Lacking any sort of royal professionalism. Instead there was something startling normal there. Something almost…shy? That couldn’t be right.

A loud crash next to him made Prompto yelp embarrassingly. He spun around to see one of the PA’s kneeling on the floor. There was a heavy-looking binder on the floor, its contents scattered everywhere.

“Hey, let me help you with that.” Prompto offered immediately.

“Ah, thanks! Can’t believe I did something so dumb in front of literally royalty.” The girl sighed, her cheeks red.

“Don’t even think about. I’m sure the prince didn’t even notice.”

Prompto couldn’t help but take a moment to gaze behind him once more. Prince Noctis was already gone.


	3. "Now? Now you listen to me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note, I'm probably not going to use all the prompts verbatim. Sometimes, the intonation of the sentence doesn't work with the characters voice, so I change it slightly. Its totally not cheating. Nope. Not at all.  
:D

Noctis was practically buzzing with excitement. The whole ride back from the museum, he couldn’t stop grinning. He was officially free from his duties for an entire week. Longer, even, since they had a few days of travel before their vacation officially began. Noctis was running through his packing list in his head, planning out everything he wanted to bring. He barely even remembered the interview he just had.

(Well, he did remember one thing. One _person_. The photographer with bright blond hair, like sunshine. He was…cute. And Noctis was pretty sure he’d never get the chance to see him again. Oh well.)

“I daresay that interview when off without a hitch, Noct.” Ignis turned his head slightly towards the back seat. His eyes never once drifting from the road ahead.

“Yeah, it was alright.” Noctis answered automatically. His mind was still sorting through what jacket he should bring.

“It’s going to be a quick turnaround for their editing team. Apparently they want to include it in their next issue that’s due out in two weeks.”

“Why?” Should he bring a hat on vacation? It was kind of sunny in Altissia. A hat might be nice, especially if he went fishing all day.

“To coincide with the delegations, I imagine. Since this particular publication does not stray too far into politics, an interview with the prince is the perfect way to be involved in the scene without straying from their target audience. It’s all simple, really.”

Noctis nodded. “Simple. Yeah.”

“We should be getting proofs of the photos while were en-route to Altissia. Now, the PR department will had final say on what is approved, but they want your opinion as well, Noct.”

Noctis’ attention was finally captured. “Wait, what?”

Ignis sighed. “Now you listen to me?”

“I _was_ listening.”

“Noctis I’ve know you since we were both children. I know what you sound like when you’re day dreaming.”

“Fair enough. But I really get to pick out some pictures? They’ve never let me do that before.”

“True, but seeing as you are technically an adult, it’s about time we get you a little more involved. Think of it as preparing for the future.”

The prince chuckled. “I don’t think picking out pictures for a gossip magazine is great preparation for being king.”

“We’re starting you off on something easy. So you don’t get overwhelmed.” Ignis answered, his tone a little too flat.

“I feel like you’re making fun of me.”

“I would never.”

As soon as the car was parked in his apartment’s garage, Noctis hopped out instantly.

“You’re rather eager, Highness.” Ignis commented, a hint of amusement hidden behind his glasses.

“I wanna get packing. I’ve only got a day to do it.” Noctis walked quickly to the elevator with Ignis following closely behind.

“Really, you haven’t started? Didn’t I suggest you get started days ago?”

“Yeah. But I was busy then.”

“With what? I don’t recall any pressing meetings. And with the spring semester over, you don’t have homework.”

Noctis shrugged. “There was a special raid on Kings Knight. It only lasted a week. I had to get all the prizes.”

Ignis sighed a long and tired sound. “Of course. How silly of me to overlook such an important event.”

Noctis bit his cheek, hiding his smile. There was something so fun about teasing Ignis. Like bothering an older brother. Noctis felt it was his duty to annoy Ignis from time to time. Silly things of course. Like forgoing packing in favor playing a video game or hiding his precious Ebony when his back was turned. It was a way to balance things. To make them feel normal when their lives clearly weren’t. Also it was just plain hilarious.

When the pair finally made it to the top floor, Noctis hurried to his door. Shoes and jacket discarded, the prince pulled out his large suitcase from the hall closet and dragged it to his bedroom. The next ten minutes consisted of the prince throwing clothing from his closet towards said suitcase. Ignis watched from the side, already dreading all the wrinkles that he’d have to deal with later.

“You could be a little more gentle with your clothes, Highness.”

Noctis strode out of his closet, a jacket and several hats piled in his arms. “What for? There just going to be cramped in my suitcase for hours.”

“Yes, but if you intent to fit all of this in one bag, you’re going to need to fold things properly.”

“…huh?”

Another tired sigh. “Here, allow me.”

It took the rest of the afternoon to finally organize everything up to Ignis’ standards. Noctis had enough casual clothes to last him almost an entire month along with a garment bag full of nicer outfits for the events after his vacation.

“Well now, I believe you’re adequately prepared.” Ignis zipped up the suitcase and rolled it into the living room. “Are you hungry? I can get started on dinner.”

“I’ve got it covered.” Noctis grinned. A message popped up on his phone.

Noctis hurried to the front door. On the other side was Gladio, his hands full of take out bags.

“Special delivery.” Gladio held out a bag for Noctis to take.

“Take out? Really?” Ignis had his arms crossed, frowning.

The prince strode by with a heavy plastic bag. “Yes, _really_. Think of it as a treat before we hit the road tomorrow.”

“I would have much rather taken the time to make something a little more healthy.”

“Sounds gross.”

Ignis’ frown grew deeper. Behind them, Gladio laughed.

“Calm down, Iggy. One night of take out isn’t going to ruin your pallet, or whatever. Live a little.”

“I assure you we’d all ‘live a little’ longer if we had more balanced, healthy diets.”

“Sounds fake.” Noctis chimed in from the kitchen. Gladio’s booming laughter followed.

“Honestly. The two of you are going to be the death of me.” Ignis grumbled.

* * *

The small retinue stopped by the Citadel early the next morning. Noctis was able to have a nice breakfast with his father, followed by ten minutes of his dad nagging him for forgetting sunscreen. It was all very normal which made the busy young prince smile.

After everything was securely packed and their route mapped out, Noctis Gladio and Ignis piled into the car.

“Oh Noct, before you take a nap, here are the photos from yesterday.” Ignis passed back a sleek black tablet to the prince.

“That fast?” Gladio said. “Damn. They must have a tight deadline.”

“Indeed.”

Noctis tried not to groan as he took the tablet. He had the whole back seat to himself and was already feeling groggy. Determined to get this task done quick, Noctis flicked through the pictures.

Twenty minutes later and he wasn’t even halfway done.

There was something different about these photos. Maybe it was the lighting or a different filter then normal, but there was just something…distinct about them. Noctis usually cringed when he saw professional photos of himself but not this time. This time, he looks more like himself than ever.

It’s a little weird. Each photo has somehow capture the young prince in a moment of truth. Not the professional smile that he wears like a second skin, nor the perfect posture he’s honed since childhood. Every image catches something not so princely. Something that isn’t so planned.

Like the moment before Noctis sat down and was adjusting his too tight tie. His genuine smile when the interviewer complemented the museum his mother built. The brief moment of hesitation before he answered a question. It was all there. Laid bare for the world to see. He looked more like a normal twenty-year-old then ever before.

“These are really good…” he mumbled. In the front seat, Gladio snorted.

“Yeah? They must have found a pretty good photographer to make your dumbass look good.”

Noctis kicked his Shields seat.

At mention of the photographer, Noctis suddenly remembered that blonde hair. He’d only seen the other young man’s face for a moment, but it was long enough to memorize the fine details. Bright blue eyes behind round frames. A nose that tipped up slightly at the end. Dozens, maybe hundreds of freckles dotting his cheeks.

Whoever that young photographer was, he captured Noctis like no one had before. All the others, they wanted to see a prince. Poised and perfect in every frame. This photographer clearly wanted to see _Noctis_. He tried his best to shoot around the façade and did so brilliantly.

In the end, Noctis had a hard time picking out photos. He wasted a good two hours of napping time before selecting twenty of his favorites. With that task finally done, the young prince stretched his legs across the backseat and made himself comfortable.

He couldn’t stop thinking about blonde hair and freckles.


	4. "I know you didn't ask for this."

As Prompto boarded the ferry, he began to wonder just how in the world he was going to survive. It wasn’t a bad opportunity. In fact, traveling abroad for a paid work trip was kind of incredible. However, Prompto knew of a whole room full of photographers that also worked for Vyv who were clamoring for this kind of work. Not to mention, pretty much all of those people had been at the magazine longer. They were supposed to have priority over Prompto. But instead…

_“Look Prompto, I know you didn’t ask for this—“_

_“Right! I’m totally fine if you want someone else to go. I mean, I’ve only been here what, a year? Cassius has been a photographer here longer then I’ve been alive! He should probably be the one to follow a story like this…”_

_“I don’t want Cassius. Or Aya. Or any of them. I want _you_ on this job, Prompto. Doing what you do best.”_

_“Stalking royalty? I said that as a joke _once_ –” _

_“No no, I mean taking photos. Candid photos. I don’t know how you do it, but you have a knack for making the mundane something special.”_

_“Oh.”_

_“Yeah oh. Look, we’ve got a pretty solid lead that Prince Noctis is vacationing in Altissia the week before the delegations begin. All we want are some candid photos of the prince enjoying his time. Exclusive stuff that no other publication will have.”_

_“I feel like this could still qualify as stalking.”_

_“Then take pictures of other people too. Take pictures of birds or boats. Just, when you’re lining up a shot of a fountain, make sure the prince is somewhere in the picture too.”_

Prompto replayed the conversation with Vyv over and over. On one hand, it was great that his boss had so much confidence in him. On the other, his senior co-workers were going to give him the coldest shoulder when he got back.

On the other, _other_ hand…following the prince around to snag some photos felt kind of wrong. Sure, he was royalty, but that didn’t mean the guy should have his privacy invaded like that. He should be able to enjoy his vacation like anyone else.

It wasn’t too hard of a choice to make, even though Prompto felt like his career might suffer a bit, but on the ferry ride he decided not to hound the prince. He would give himself one day. One day to subtly follow the royal and snap a handful of shots. Then, the prince could enjoy the rest of his holiday in peace. Prompto would just tell Vyv that one of Crownsguard told him to back off or something. Wouldn’t be the first or last time that happened.

With his decision made, Prompto sat back and tried to push down the growing nausea in his stomach. Who ever thought that traveling by boat was a good thing was clearly delusional.


	5. "Yes I'm aware, you're point?"

The crisp ocean air felt like a dream. Noctis pulled his suitcase along behind him, taking a deep breath once he stepped off the dock. Even with the city spanning out in front of him, the gentle sounds and fresh smell of the sea behind him put the prince at ease.

“Keep it moving, Noct. You’re blocking people.”

“Sorry.” The prince moved to the side with Gladio. Ignis appeared a short while later, his hair looking a bit more unkempt than usual. Gladio snickered.

“Looking a little messy there, Iggy. I don’t know if your style can survive this humidity.”

Ignis gave the shield an alarmingly cold gaze. ”Yes, I aware. Your point, Gladiolus?”

Gladio held up his hands in a mock surrender. Although the affect was ruined by the laughter he was trying to hold back.

Ignis shifted gears completely as he turned to talk to Noctis. “Shall we be on our way? The sooner we check into the hotel, the sooner our trip can begin.”

The prince nodded. “Lead the way.”

The prince and his retinue followed the small crowed from the ferry into the depths of the city. Altissia was the exact opposite of Insomnia. The buildings were crafted from colorful stones and sturdy brick, unlike the cool metal of the Crown City’s skyscrapers. Without a car insight, the air wasn’t weighed down with exhaust. Instead there was the smell of sweet treats, fragrant cologne and the ever present salt of the sea.

The best part? No one here knew him. In Insomnia, Noctis had gone to public school, so it wasn’t uncommon for him to be seen on the streets. However, it was still a big deal when he was spotted. People would point, failing incredibly on being subtle. They would whisper and stare and some would even snap pictures of him on their cell phones to brag to their friends later. Here, no one really cared. He was just another face in the crowd.

It was fucking great.

The hotel was stunning, and their room even more so. It was probably the one fancy thing Noctis was going to allow this trip. The rest of the time he planned on eating street food and fishing so much that the smell seeped into his clothes.

“Your phone is charged?” Gladio asked. They were loitering in the lobby, mere steps away from the exit.

“Yeah.”

“You know not to leave the city right? Not even on one of those boats?”

“Yeah I know. One of you has to be with me if I do.”

“Right.”

Ignis took his turn next. “Now, the local law enforcement has been made aware of our presence. They will keep an eye on you even when Gladio or I aren’t around.”

“I’m twenty, not twelve. I don’t need a babysitter.” Noctis grumbled.

“Yes but you are a prince, in a foreign city, no less.”

“A city we’re currently at peace with.” He pointed out.

“And let’s try to keep that peace.” Gladio poked Noctis’ shoulder. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “My favorite hobbies are fishing and playing video games. How the hell am I going to cause a national incident?”

“I’d rather not find out how creative you can be.” Ignis chimed in with the last word.

As much as his retainers got on his nerves, Noctis understood. They had to look out for him and be prepared. At least they didn’t have to shadow him all the time. Altissia had a sparkling reputation. It was a safe city for people to both live and visit. At most, Noctis might run into a pickpocket, but even that was kind of rare.

With a few final warnings, a reminder to answer his phone, Noctis was free. He strolled out of the hotel with a bounce in his step, ready to explore.

* * *

Sun set in Altissia was an event in and of itself. The water surrounding them glowed like fire, reflecting the ever changing sky above. Street lamps flickered on, casting a hazy glow on the streets. In some of the more narrow streets, strings of light zigzagged across the walkway.

Noctis had spent the entire afternoon eating. He found his way to a larger square of sorts, with a large statue in the middle and carts all around selling trinkets. There were food carts too. Meat skewers and fried fish, shrimp tacos and colorfully fruity drinks. One of the vendors made incredible freshly made potato chips. Noctis went back three times.

With his hunger sated, Noctis didn’t stray far from the square. He followed a stair case up and up until he found a small landing where a few benches were placed perfectly for watching the sunset.

The cool night air and the smoothing sound of the wind lulled the young prince into a haze. He could barely be bothered to even think he was so content.

With his eyes drooping a sleep creeping up on his mind, Noctis fished his phone out of his pocket and snapped a quick picture. He sent it off to Gladio and Ignis, along with his father. It was such a nice sunset, it deserved to be shared.

Before he got a response, Noctis let his chin fall on his chest and promptly fell asleep.


	6. "No and that's final."

Prompto wasn’t quite sure what he did in his previous life to make his current one so ridiculous. First, his boss decides to send him on this super important job to stalk royalty on vacation. Second, the old lady he sat next to on the ferry talked to him for an hour about how he was dressed (black apparently wasn’t a color someone with his nice smile and sunny disposition wore). And third, there was no way in hell he just found the prince of Lucis asleep on a bench in a random corner of Altissia.

No way in _hell_ was he that lucky.

Prompto gulped, steadying himself as he crept closer to the figure on the bench. The sunset was pretty much gone by now, which meant that he’d missed out on the perfect picture. There was no point to approach the person. None at all…except the overwhelming need to see if fate really was that crazy.

It was pretty undeniable that the person sleeping on the bench was Prince Noctis. Sure he might be dressed more casual then Prompto had ever seen, but it would be impossible to forget his face. His…attractive face.

_Stop it, Prompto_, he scolded himself. _This is so not the time._

His attention was stolen by the sound of buzzing near the prince. Prompto took a few steps forward and noticed a cell phone loosely held in the prince’s hand.

_Wait, is he supposed to be alone?_ Prompto thought suddenly. _What if there are people looking for him? Isn’t royalty supposed to have security?_

The phone kept buzzing as Prompto weight the facts. There was a good chance someone was looking for the prince. If he just left without trying to wake him up or something, could he get in trouble? What if someone more dubious came along and kidnapped him? That’s something that happens to royals, right?

Before his thoughts could spiral even more, Prompto reached out. He gently shook the prince’s shoulder.

“Um, Prince Noctis? Hello?”

Nothing. The prince quietly slept on.

“Hey, dude, wake up.”

The prince’s phone went off again. The buzz of the ringer seemed louder somehow.

“Ah, your highness, your phone is ringing. You should probably to answer that, like, _now_.”

Prompto shook the prince a little harder. After a moment of nothing, the royal finally began to stir.

“Wha…what?” he mumbled.

“Prince Noctis, falling asleep on a random bench probably isn’t the best idea for you. Also your phone is ringing. Has been ringing. For a while now.” Prompto wanted to smack himself on the side of the head for rambling. Oh well.

Suddenly, the prince sat up. “Oh shit.”

Prompto couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out of his mouth. Hear the prince swear was just too weird.

Prince Noctis quickly swiped his phone, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “H-hello? Hey Iggy, what’s up? Uh yeah, sorry for not answering right away. My uh…my hands were full.”

_Well that was a lie_, Prompto thought. Apparently it didn’t matter if a person was born in high society or not. White lies were a universal thing.

Prompto stood awkwardly near the bench for a few moments longer before it felt like too much. He’d done his good deed and it seemed like the prince was fine. There was no reason for him to linger. Prompto stepped back, his mind already drifting to the small restaurant he’d seen in the square. It’s been ages since he ate.

Full intending to disappear, Prompto nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand came down on his shoulder. He spun around, an embarrassing noise coming out of his mouth.

“_Dude_,” he gasped. “Don’t scare me like that.”

Prince Noctis held up his hands. It was hard to see his expression in the dim light. “Ah, sorry! I just, well you were about to leave so I just wanted to uh….stop you?”

Prompto was trying very hard not to gape at the prince. Wasn’t he supposed to be like, all professional? Or something? It sounded liked the prince was almost embarrassed, maybe even a little shy. Prompto mentally groaned at himself. It was a really bad habit, putting the guy on a pedestal all the time. Prompto might not be an expert, but he’d taken enough photos of people to see past the walls they like to put up. He’s been patient enough to capture those moments in-between. 

“No worries.” Prompto smiled, trying to ease the awkwardness. “I just, well I didn’t want to intrude on your conversation, or whatever.”

“It’s fine. My friend was just checking up on me. Wanted to make sure I didn’t get lost.”

“I totally get it, man. This place is like a maze! But like, a really intense 3D maze with different levels and stuff.”

The prince chuckled. “Yeah. You could say that. And uh, thanks for waking me up. I literally can nap through anything and probably would have made my friends worry.”

“Anytime!” Prompto grinned. “Not every day you find a sleeping prince while trying not to get lost.”

Prince Noctis’ visibly flinched. “So…you know who I am?”

Prompto blinked. “Is that…is that supposed to be a secret?”

“No, not really. It’s just most people here don’t seem to notice.” He shrugged.

“Oh, well I’m not from here. I live in Insomnia. Just came in on the ferry about an hour ago.”

With his eyes finally adjusting to the dim lighting, Prompto had a perfect view of the prince’s face. He watched as the subtle frown on the prince’s face shifted into confusion.

“Wait a second…I know you.”

Prompto was actually surprised to hear that. He was used to people forgetting him. Used to people not realizing it was him behind the camera. Most of the time, he was background noise. There because someone wanted it, but forgotten when the party really began.

“I’m ah…you do?”

The prince’s eye widen. “You’re that photographer from yesterday in the museum. I almost didn’t recognize you without the glasses. Not to mention the beanie.”

Almost self-consciously, Prompto tugged on the back of his beanie. “Yeah, didn’t have time to do my hair this morning, so I decided to wear this. And I don’t normally wear my glasses. I prefer contacts. Makes it easier to line up a shot, y’know?”

“Not really. But I don’t think you had much trouble yesterday. I went through the proofs. You’re really good.”

Prompto blushed. He covered his burning face with one hand and waved the prince away. “Aw don’t say that, dude! I can’t handle complements from literally royalty! I’m going to die.”

“Take the complement, you weirdo.” Prince Noctis rolled his eyes. “You deserve it.”

Prompto was pretty sure he died right in that moment. Suddenly, the prince looked down, going back to his almost shy posture from before. Prompto waited patiently to see what changed.

“Hey uh, feel free to say no but, do you like…want to hang out? With me?”

“Huh?” Prompto wanted to smack himself for saying that. He heard the prince perfectly well. His dumb brain just didn’t want to process it. “I-I mean, you want to hang with me?”

Prince Noctis nodded.

“You sure?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”

“Fair.”

“If you’re busy, you don’t have to say yes. It’s just, well I’m here with my friends, but their also my retainers so it can get a little weird. Like they’re babysitting me of something.”

Prompto couldn’t help the snort of laughter. He silently apologized and motioned for the prince to continue.

“I’d like to hang with somebody. Just like normal. You seem kinda cool so…”

Once again, fate was really fucking weird. Prompto felt his pulse beat rapidly in his ears. Seriously, he must have done something great in his past life for this to be happening right now.

A wide, bright smile pulled at his lips.

“Kind of cool? Highness, I’m the coolest. I’m so down to hang. I literally have no plans this week.”

Prince Noctis smiled once again. “Awesome. First things first, drop the ‘highness’. Just call me Noct.”

“W-what!” Prompto sputtered. “I can’t do that? Isn’t that like, treason? That’s got to be against _some_ rule. What if I called you Prince Noct instead?”

“No. And that’s final.” Noctis answered bluntly.

Prompto snickered. “Dude, you sounded all regal there for a second. It was…actually kind of weird, if I’m being honest.”

“Ugh, I know. Feels weird every time I have to give a speech or do something official. Still not used to it.”

“Don’t worry, Noct. You’ll get used to it someday.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “Maybe. So, what do you want to do? I’ve got a little while before I’m supposed to head back.”

Prompto began walking towards the staircase, his mind buzzing with everything that had happened. “Well, I’m pretty much starving. Know of any good places to eat.”

Noctis smiled. “I know a few.”


	7. "Can you stay?"

The two young men were wondering around a local book shop, hold up by the comics.

“Hey, Prompto, can you stay here a sec? I’ve got to make a quick call.” Noct had already pulled up Gladio’s number on his phone.

The cute photographer (Prompto. His name is Prompto. Noctis had to actually fight the urge to say his name over and over) was just as much as an avid comic reader as the prince. They had already spent twenty minutes in the book store just talking about their favorite series. Noctis had gathers a small pile in his arms of stories that Prompto recommended.

“Yeah, no problem buddy. I’ll be here.” Prompto replied. He smiled, his eyes lighting up and making Noctis’ chest feel weird.

“Cool. I’ll, uh, be right back.” Noctis walked swiftly to the door, trying to out run his fluttering heart. They had only been hanging out for about two hours and already Noctis was crushing hard.

Prompto was just so…_cute_. In every sense of the word. He was goofy and had the same dumb humor that Noctis had. He could talk and talk for what felt like hours but always paused to hear Nocits’ thoughts. He was nice and had cute freckles and just… there was just a lot to like. And Noctis was drowning in it all.

Of course, anyone Noctis showed interest in, even if they were just friends, were bound to face the scrutiny of his two friends/retainers. Noctis thought they’d have a little more time to just exist, but apparently not.

Noctis dialed Gladio’s number and waited outside the bookstore. It rang four times before he finally answered.

There was a muffled sound on the other end, followed by a quiet swear. Finally, Gladio spoke. “Hey, Noct. What’s up?”

The prince frowned. “If you’re going to follow me, you should be less obvious.”

“What? We’re not following you…”

“So Ignis_ is_ with you. I wasn’t sure at first but I thought I smelled his hair gel.”

Gladio coughed, obviously stalling. “Look just—just hang on well be right out.”

Noctis pulled his phone away and aggressively hung up. This was the last thing he wanted to deal with right now. It was the first night of his vacation and already Ignis and Gladio were breathing down his neck.

About a minute later, the two in question casually strolled out of the store and walked up to Noctis like nothing was wrong. It just set the prince on edge even more.

“Do you have to hover like that?” Noctis asked. “You’re being creepy.”

Gladio crossed his arms. “Look, we didn’t intend to follow you. Iggy and I were grabbing a bite and just happened to see you and blondie across the way. We were curious.”

“Well get un-curious. If Prompto sees you, you’ll probably scare him off.”

“Ah, so it_ is_ the photographer.” Ignis said. “I thought he looked familiar.”

“Yeah, same guy. And were kind of hanging out right now so if you could—“

“What’s he doing here?” Gladio interrupted. “Is he stalking you?”

Noctis made a face. “What? No! Don’t make this weird.”

“It would make sense.” Ignis chimed in. He tapped his chin with his finger, feigning some sort of nonchalance. “Mr. Argentum is a photographer for a magazine. I imagine photos of the crown prince on vacation would do quite well.”

Noctis frowned even deeper. “First off, how you do even know his name?”

“Simple. We worked with him not a day ago. We had exchanged emails beforehand as well.”

“Whatever. Second, that’s kind of a shitty thing to say about someone you don’t know. You make it sound like the only reason he’d hanging out with me now is to get a good picture to sell.”

Ignis and Gladio shared a look, one that Noctis was very familiar with. His two retainers had seemed to develop a way to silently communicate with each other when approaching a subject Noctis didn’t want to hear. It was terribly annoying.

Gladio started first. “Look, Noct, it’s_ is_ a shitty thing to say. And it’s a shitty reality too because we know that people can and will use parts of you to boost their own lives. It’s just, something we have to deal with.”

Ignis spoke up next. “I don’t think Mr. Argentum bares you any ill will. He seems very genuine in the few conversations we’ve had. I just…I just find myself unable to not be concerned. Call it an annoying habit, but I would be remised in my duty as you advisor and your friend if I didn’t at least urge you be cautious. We both would.”

Any anger and annoyance Noctis felt at his two friends drifted away. They were right, after all. Being who he was, Noctis couldn’t just throw his trust out to anyone. There would always be someone out there looking to exploit that trust. No matter how bright their smiles or how charming their laugh, there was really no way of knowing who a person was after hanging out with them for only an hour. The truth of it all just sucked.

“I…I get what you’re saying.” Noctis said reluctantly. “I’ll be careful. I think I’m old enough now to start figuring these things out on my own.”

Gladio reached over and ruffled his hair. “Aw the little princess finally decided to grow up. Who would have guessed?”

Noctis elbowed Gladio in the stomach.

“I trust in your decision, Highness.” Ignis smiled. “Thank you for listening to our worries.”

“Yeah, no problem. I should probably be more aware of these things anyway. Well, I’m going to head back in. Prompto probably thinks I ditched him.”

“If I may ask, Noct. After bringing our concerns to you, has there been anything that suggests Mr. Argentum may possess some ill intentions?”

Noctis didn’t really have to think about his answer. Even though it wasn’t exactly on his mind, Noctis had always been cautious about letting people close. He was an introverted person. He liked the quiet and being on his own. Usually he could tell right away when someone was cozying up to him for the wrong reasons. They always smiled too big or laughed too loud. Not Prompto thought. In fact, he was kind of the opposite. Everything about him seemed honest and genuine. When he smiled, it truly was because he was happy. And when he laughed, even at the dumbest joke Noctis made, it wasn’t a practiced fake sound. It was wild and a little chaotic and uncontrollable.

Taking in to account everything Gladio and Ignis said, Noctis still couldn’t find one thing that set off his alarm bells.

“No, I don’t think he’s like that.” The prince said quietly. “He just seems…real. Too real to try and fake anything. Plus I already know he’s a terrible liar, so there’s that.”

Gladio chuckled, next to him Ignis’s shoulders relaxed.

“That’s good to hear.” Ignis said. “Now go back inside. I’m afraid we’ve kept you from your friend far too long.”

“Okay. Promise you two aren’t going to watch us from the bushes?”

“No.” Gladio shrugged.

“You guys are the worst. I’m twenty, not twelve.”

“Pretty sure you’ve said that already.”

Noctis punched Gladio in the arm and swiftly headed back into the bookstore. Prompto was exactly where he left him, nose deep in a comic book. There were a few different ones on his lap.

“Did you read all of those?” Noctis asked. He hadn’t realized he’d been gone that long.

“Dude, you were right. This is amazing!” Prompto grinned. “The art is just so—and the story? Like, holy shit how do people even come up with stuff like this? It’s so good!”

Noctis grinned and sat down next to Prompto. “Right? She’d probably my favorite author right now. Oh hey, she did this collab with another writer I really like. You should check it out too.”

“I’m going to waste my entire pay check.”

“But it’s for a good reason.”

“Oh yeah, definitely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it feels like there might be some angst on the horizon, but i promise it's not going to be anything crazy. Just a dash to keep things interesting :D


	8. "There is a certain taste to it."

During their second day in Altissia, Ignis was doing everything in his power to not be a snoop.

It was a hard job, being the advisor to the prince. There were layers to his duty that very few really understood. For one thing, Ignis was first and foremost Noctis’ friend. While from the outside many people might assume that they only spend time together for professional reasons, that’s not entirely the case. Ignis cares for Noctis like any friend would. In fact, he would go as far to say he felt like the prince was his brother at times.

And what kind of self-respecting big brother would he be if he wasn’t a little concerned about the photographer trailing alongside Noctis like an excited puppy? It was an odd coincidence for Prompto to show up in Altissia. Some might even call it suspicious. However, Ignis was trying his best not to be that person. Noctis was practically beaming when he left to meet up with Prompto that morning. It had been too long since the prince was that excited to go somewhere and Ignis wasn’t going to ruin that.

Of course, he still had his worries.

Ignis decided to busy himself by trying the local cuisine. Apart from the cafe from last night, the budding culinary expert hadn’t truly explored the different choices Altissia had to offer. There were some restaurants back in Insomnia that served Altissian cuisine, but there was nothing like getting a taste fresh from the source.

With a little help from the concierge at the hotel, Ignis had mapped out his day, stopping at as many of the recommended eateries he could. 

In his (some would say ‘valiant’) effort to stay out of the prince’s way, Ignis ended up running into him near his first stop.

Noctis immediately frowned. He crossed his arms and looked about ten seconds away from stomping passed him. If it wasn’t for Prompto also noticing and recognizing him, Ignis was sure Noctis would drag his friend in the opposite direction.

“Ignis.” Noctis said dryly.

“Noct.” Ignis mentally prepared the explanation that he was going to give. It really was an accident. After their talk last night, Ignis promised to leave the prince alone and not hound him about his new friend. He didn’t mean to run right into them. Before Ignis could explain any of this, Prompto broke the tension.

“Hi! I’m Prompto. We kind of met before, but that was all work stuff so it doesn’t count. Ignis, right?”

Ignis blinked at the bright young man. He didn’t seemed phased at all by the people around him. Even if one was literal royalty. _No wonder Noct had taken a liking to him,_ Ignis mused.

“Ignis Scientia. It’s a pleasure to meet you properly, Prompto.” Ignis held out his hand. Prompto shook it confidently.

“Where are you heading?” he asked. “Or do you need to steal Noct for something?”

The use of the prince’s nickname didn’t go unnoticed. “Actually, I was on my way a restaurant nearby. According to the concierge at our hotel, it has excellent calamari.”

Prompto perked up. “Oh yeah, I’ve been there! I went last year when I was here for the Chocobo Moogle Festival. It’s super tasty.”

“That’s good to hear. Well, I should be on my way. I don’t want to keep you two—“

“Why don’t we go with you?” Prompto asked.

Noctis’ head whipped around. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah, dude. Didn’t you just say you were starving? You don’t mind, do you Ignis?”

“Not at all.” Ignis replied.

The prince shot him a glare. “Weren’t we going back to the square? There were some food carts I haven’t tried yet.”

Prompto laughed. “Dude, you can’t survive on street food forever. You got to have real food every once and a while. Besides, I can vouch for this place. It’s really good.”

It was then that Ignis noticed something peculiar. A look he had never seen flit across his young friends face. Something…unexpected.

A different explanation to Nocits’ excited behavior that morning began to flicker into his mind.

“If you want to, then yeah. Let’s go.” Noctis said quietly. Prompto’s enthusiastic whoop made the both of them smile.

Prompto led them to the restaurant with ease. They were seated in moments, out on the patio with the cool summer breeze floating around them. Ignis made sure to order the calamari he’d heard so much about along with a bowl of gumbo that sounded promising. Reluctantly, he also ordered a fruity drink that Prompto wouldn’t stop raving about. It came in a novelty glass that they would get to keep.

“It’s kind of sweet, but so yummy.” Prompto grinned. He took a long sip out of his drink and smiled. “Ah…just as good as I remember.”

“There’s a leaf in it.” Noctis grumbled.

“It’s mint.” Ignis commented. “You don’t have to eat it. It’s there add flavor.”

“Then why did they leave it in my drink?”

“To add a bit of flare. Why else would they ‘leaf’ it there?”

Noctis groaned.

“Was that a pun? Ignis, you just made a pun!” Prompto looked utterly delighted.

“Don’t encourage him.” Noctis said quickly.

Ignis did his best to hide his grin. Noctis’ never really did have an appreciation for the art of puns. Ignis took a small sip of his fruity drink. “Huh. I think I might actually enjoy this.” He murmured.

“Right?” Prompto practically jumped into the topic. “Like, its sweet, but not tooth rotting sweet, y’know?”

“Yes, I think I see what you mean. There’s a certain taste to it that combats the sugariness. It’s quiet refreshing.”

Prompto nudged the prince with his elbow. “See, Noct? Told you this was a good idea.”

Nocits smiled and shoved Prompto right back. Ignis pretended he didn’t see the hint of pink on the prince’s cheeks.


	9. "Listen, I can't explain it, you'll have to trust me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totes changed the prompt around for this one. yolo.

After the fourth time his phone rung, Prompto was running out of excuses.

“You ever going to get that?” Noctis asked.

“Uh, I guess I have to.” Prompto cringed at the name on his screen. “I thought he’d give up by now.”

“Who is it?”

For a moment, Prompto hesitated. He was having such a nice time with the prince. If he let on the real reason he came to Altissia, Noctis might not want to hang out anymore. He might even get offended.

Prompto wanted to lie. He wanted to keep this nice little flow going. Noctis was cool. Despite being a prince, Noctis acted just like any guy their age. Prompto liked this side of the royal. He liked getting to know him as a person. If he told Noctis about his assignment, there was a good chance he would lose all of it.

Lying would be easy, but it wasn’t right. Prompto hated that he had such a strong moral compass sometimes.

“Its…it’s my boss.” He admitted.

“You’re boss? Why is he calling?” Noctis asked.

“Listen, I can explain. I just have to answer this.”

The first flicker distrust passed over the princes eyes. Prompto felt his stomach clench.

“Just trust me, okay?” He asked quietly. It felt like a lot to ask.

There was a long pause before Noctis agreed. So long in fact, that Prompto was sure he’d messed up. But Noctis muttered a quiet ‘okay’ and even managed to smile a little. Prompto couldn’t help but smile back.

“I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Prompto stepped away, looking for a place a little quieter for his conversation. He and Noctis had stumbled upon a small band performing near a fountain and stayed to watch. They drew quite a crowd.

Once he was far enough away, Prompto called Vyv back. He picked up half way through the first ring.

_“Prompto! There you are! I’ve been trying to reach you all morning.” _

“Er, yeah, sorry about that. I left my phone in the hotel. I just came back to grab it.”

_“Hey, it’s fine. Look, I was just calling to see how things were going? Have you found the prince?”_

Contrary to all his previous thoughts and ideas about being a good honest person, Prompto decided to lie to his boss. For some reason, it didn’t bug him as much as it would have lying to Noct.

(There was a simple reason that Prompto wasn’t quite ready to admit to himself yet. But he knew, without a doubt, that he’d much rather endure his boss getting angry at him then miss out on a chance to get to know Noctis better.)

The story came to mind easily.

“Yeah, I found him, the Crownsguard found me like, a second later. I don’t know if I’m going to get anything.”

Vyv sighed. _“Yeah I was afraid that might happen. With how hush hush they were keeping this little trip, they probably have got security everywhere._”

Prompto almost laughed. It was the exact opposite, really.

_“Just keep trying, Prompto. Even a blurry shot might be worth something.”_

“O-okay. Will do.”

_“Thanks kid. Talk to you later.”_

“Bye.” Prompto ended the call and took a deep breath. Vyv didn’t need to know what he was doing. Well, technically he did, since this trip was paid for by the company. And really, with that in mind, Prompto could theoretically be accused of taking advantage of his job. He wasn’t on a vacation like Noct. He was supposed to be _working_. Even though the lies had come easily talking to Vyv, Prompto felt the guilt pool in his belly.

Noctis found him like that a few minutes later.

“Hey…you okay?” the prince looked genuinely concerned which just made Prompto feel even worse. “You didn’t come back right away.”

“Yeah…sorry man. I just—sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Noctis tugged on Prompto’s arm and led him to a bench nearby. They sat side by side, watching the crowds of people pass them by.


	10. "It's not always like this."

Noctis was nervous. The entire time they’d hung out, Prompto had been happy. Smiling brightly and laughing with ease. Now he looked like the exact opposite and it made Noctis almost uncomfortable. He wasn’t great at helping people when they were feeling down. Most of the time, he just felt awkward and useless. Noctis didn’t want to feel that way around Prompto.

There was another reason he was feeling a little on edge. A theory forming in the back of his mind that he was ignoring with every fiber of his being.

Prompto even said it. He was talking to his _boss_. His boss, as in, the owner of the magazine that Prompto worked for. It was too much of a coincidence.

Noctis really, _really _hoped he was wrong. But everything was adding up against Prompto. Not matter how much he liked the guy, Noctis wasn’t sure if he could ignore this.

“Listen, Noct…” Prompto sat up straighter, but his eyes stayed firmly away from the prince. “I haven’t really been honest about why I’m here.”

“I never even asked.” Noctis admitted. He was trying his best to stamp down the feeling of betrayal whirling in his gut. “I probably should have before I asked you to hang.”

“Look, I’m going to be honest—“

“Really?” Noctis couldn’t keep the hard edge out of his tone. He was getting angry. Angry that Ignis and Gladio had been_ right_. He should have known better…

“Hey, give me a chance to explain before you decide to hate me.” Prompto shot back. He was finally looking at Noctis and although his voice was challenging, there was a look in his eyes that the prince couldn’t ignore. It looked a lot like guilt.

Prompto took a deep breath and leaned back. His knee was bouncing up and down. It was making Noctis anxious.

“Okay, here we go…” Prompto turned so that he was fully facing the prince. His eyes were practically burning. “So I was actually sent here to snag a photo of you on vacation because Vyv is like, super connected and totally knew you were going to be here on a secret vacation, which I guess doesn’t really make it a secret since he knew about it, but anyways he asked me to come for some weird reason and since he’s my boss and it’s my job I kind of had to say yes but to be honest I felt weird about this since the beginning ‘cuz like, this is your vacation. You shouldn’t have to worry about some random dude with a camera following you around. So while on the ferry over here I decided not to hound you and just try to get a couple of shots for my boss so I don’t get into trouble and then just leave you alone, but then I found you sleeping on a bench, and you asked me to hang out and you’re really cool and I don’t want you to hate me, but I also don’t want to get fired and now I’m at a totally loss of what to do. I think that’s everything.”

Noctis blinked. That was… a lot of information to absorb. It didn’t help that he was partially distracted by how endearing it was when Prompto rambled.

From the sound of it, Prompto really sounded like he was trying to do the right thing. He was trying to be a good employee, but he was also trying to give Noctis some sort of privacy while out of Insomnia. In all honesty, Noctis didn’t care who saw him on vacation, or even if a photo of him surfaced on the internet while in Alitissia. It was part of his life. But it was nice to know that Prompto felt bad about it. It was nice to know that he cared before Noctis even truly met him.

Any frustration he felt was slowly falling away. Even if Prompto wasn’t fully honest with him at first, he’d done nothing to make Noctis weary. Nothing that might suggest something more devious. In fact…

“Is that why you haven’t used your camera?” he asked.

Prompto frowned and glanced down to the camera slung over his shoulder. “Uh, I guess? I take it with me everywhere out of habit. I…I didn’t want to take a pic and have you in the background by accident. It just, I don’t know, it felt weird.”

Noctis nodded. He almost felt the urge to smile.

“Are you mad?” Prompto asked quietly.

“Not really.”

“You…you’re not? Wait, why?”

“You sound like you want me to be mad at you.”

Prompto sputtered, his hands waving frantically. “No! That’s not what I want at all, dude! I just, well I guess I was just kind of expecting you to be angry. I doubt you had all this in mind when you first asked me to hang.”

Noctis shrugged. “No, not really. But my friends kind of jumped to this conclusion right away.”

“They did, huh? But Ignis was so nice to me at lunch today.”

“Yeah, because I told him and Gladio that they had nothing to worry about with you. And I was right. You’re harmless.”

Prompto grinned. “Like a puppy.” Noctis rolled his eyes.

The tension between them disappeared soon after. Prompto sighed and stretched, lifting his arms high above his head. “Dude, this is such a relief. For a minute there, I was legit worried you were going to hate me and sic your scary guards on me.”

“They’re not that scary.” Noctis said.

“Dude. I’m pretty sure your Shield could kill me with his pinky.”

“Gladio can’t kill you with his pinky. He’d need his whole hand.”

“Oh and then he’d kill me? Gee, thanks Noct.” Prompto playfully shoved Noctis in the arm. The two fell back into easy banter almost flawlessly. Noctis couldn’t keep the grin off his face. He’d never just clicked with someone like this. Like it was as natural as breathing. He’d never felt this comfortable before, able to share his thoughts without stuttering.

It’s not always like this for Noctis. While he did have a small group of people around him that he trusted implicitly, he never had someone who was there just for _him_. Everyone in his life held some sort of title. They had a duty revolving around the crown he was born under. Noctis knew his friends cared about him. He knew that Clarus and Cor and his dad and everyone cared about him. But they had also kept watch over him because he was a prince. There was a professional layer over all those relationships. Something ever present in the back of their minds. Even with his own father.

He’d just…Noctis really never felt this way before. Sitting next to Prompto, laughing with him and joking around, it felt good. Better than that. It felt _perfect_.

No matter what brought them together, Prompto stuck around for _Noctis_, and that meant everything.

Noctis reached over and pulled the camera off of Prompto’s shoulder.

“Uh, Noct? What are you doing?” Prompto asked.

Noctis ignored the question, instead focusing on the camera in his hands. It was much fancier then anything he was used to. It made sense, since taking photos was literally Prompto’s job. However it totally ruined the spontaneity Noctis was going for.

“How does this thing work?” Noctis grumbled, hold out the camera. Prompto laughed and turned on the device, flipping it to auto so that no matter what Noctis did, it would focus as best as it could. Noctis wrapped the strap around his arm and flipped the camera so that it was facing the both of them.

“Smile.” He waited for a moment before clicking the button.

“Wh-what was that for?” Prompto asked.

After a few moments, Noctis found the button he was looking for and pulled up the photo he took. It was off center and Prompto definitely wasn’t looking at the camera, but it was nice. Their first photo together.

“You’ve got your picture of the prince. Now your boss won’t get mad at you.”

Prompto’s eyes grew wide. “Wait Noct, are you sure?”

“Yep. But you can only send that one. Any other pictures are for fun only.”

Prompto looks like he was ten seconds away from bursting out into song. His smile could rival the sun. “Alright buddy, if you say so! First things first, we need to take a better selfie.”

“You don’t like mine?”

“Dude, no offense, but how about we leave the picture thing to me, ‘kay? Turns out princes aren’t good at everything…”

“I feel like I should be offended.”

“Smile!”


	11. "What if I don't see it?"

On the third day of their vacation, Gladio was contemplating the ramifications of murdering his prince. Would it really be that bad? Jail sounded rough, but he’d have a ton of spare time. He could probably read all the books in the Citadel library and still have time to spare. Hell, he might even have time to write a few books of his own.

It almost seemed like a nice idea. But of course, he couldn’t actually strangle Noctis, no matter how much he wanted to. Instead, Gladio had to do the next best thing. Scold the hell out of him.

“So let me get this straight,” Gladio was trying very hard not to raise his voice. They had people on both sides of their hotel suite. “Blondie straight up admitted that he was here on a job to get a photo of you, which me and Iggy warned you about when you met him, but instead of cutting him loose, you guys are going fishing? Is that right?”

Noctis, in all his apathetic glory, merely shrugged. “Yeah, sounds about right.”

Sweet Shiva, this kid was going to give Gladio an aneurysm.

“Does none of this bother you?”

“Not really.”

“Dammit, Noct, you’re too trusting.”

The prince hopped up from his chair and stretched. “Maybe. But Prompto isn’t going to do any harm. He’s just my friend.”

“You’ve known him for three days.”

“So?”

Gladio huffed. “_So_. Hey, Iggy, are you seriously not on my side either?”

Ignis was currently sorting through clothing, trying to find something to wear. His hair was still hanging loosely on his forehead.

“I’m not picking a side, Gladio. I’m simply following the facts. I see no reason why we should be wary of young Prompto. He’s about as harmless as a chocobo chick. And also just as energetic.”

Gladio frowned. “What made you change your mind? You and I were on the same page about this the other day.”

Ignis set aside yet another button down shirt as he spoke. “It’s simple really. I merely spent time with him. It only took a few minutes for any doubts I had to disappear.”

On the other side of the room, Noctis was smirking. Gladio still wasn’t convinced.

“Well what if I don’t see it? Whatever you two seem to see that makes you trust this guy.”

Noctis expression evened out. It was a face Gladio had seen plenty of times. The expression Noctis wore when he didn’t want others to know how he was feeling or thinking. Usually, he saved that look for council meetings.

After a few moments of silence, Noctis rolled his eyes.

“You could come with us today, I guess…” he mumbled.

“What was that?” Gladio was sure he had misheard. Noctis had been adamant about spending his vacation on his own. Far away from anything relating to the crown, which unfortunately did include Ignis and Gladio. They may be friends, brothers even, but they’re relationship was anything but normal. Sometimes, it was hard to distinguish between duty and friendship.

Noctis crossed his arms and looked annoyed. “I said you could come with us if this is bugging you so much. Me and Prompto were just going to go to a few fishing spots around the city, but I guess with you, we can go out on one of the boats too. So it’s not a total pain.”

Gladio ignored Nocits’ irritated tone. “Sounds like a plan. Now I get to meet this Prompto guy myself.”

“Don’t freak him out.” Noctis said quickly. “He already thinks you want to murder him”

Gladio blinked. “Really? Why?”

“Because you intimidate the hell out of people and enjoy it.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

Noctis sighed. “Just, be nice. Or at least don’t do what you normally do. Just…I just—“

“You_ just_ what?”

“I just like him, okay? And I don’t want you to ruin it.”

_Well, that was unexpected_, Gladio thought. It was pretty rare that Noctis would be so forthcoming about this type of thing. Even Ignis seemed surprised by the admission.

And maybe Noctis was trying to make it sound like he liked Prompto as a friend and nothing more. Maybe he didn’t realize just how much his voice gave away. Whatever the case, in that moment, Gladio realized that he had to try. He had to try and at least talk to this new guy. Gladio didn’t have much hope for much beyond that. As Noctis Shield, he was far too cautious to let some random photographer gain his trust. 

“Alright. I’ll be nice.” Gladio relented. It was worth it to see the small smile on his little brothers face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (so like...nobody's called me out on this yet, but i totally skipped a prompt. it was an earlier one and it just didn't go with what i wanted to do. But i still plan on writing that prompt. It's kinda cute and i know exactly how i want to use it :D)


	12. "I never knew it could be this way."

Every time Noctis so much as looked away, Prompto was sure that his Shield was going to pummel him into the ground. It’s not like the guy had actually _done_ anything to make him think this. In fact, besides a stiff introduction, Gladio seemed pretty chill. Intimidating as all hell, but chill.

No, the reason Prompto feared for his life whenever Noctis had his back turned was because he knew that Gladio knew that Prompto was sent to Altissia on an assignment. An assignment involving his royal charge.

If anyone was going to tell Prompto off, it was Gladio.

However, with each minute that passed, it just never happened. Gladio wasn’t really talking to Prompto. He wasn’t talking much in general. He was like a silent watchmen, an ever present guardian a— well shit he was a shield, wasn’t he? Maybe Gladio was hanging around today because it was his job. Maybe it had nothing to do with Prompto.

Whatever the reason was, it was clear that Gladio was sticking with them for most of the day. Which Prompto didn’t mind too much.

(Maybe a little. But, it’s not like he could _say_ that.)

“Looks like we made it in time.” Noctis grinned. He was wearing a baseball cap today and Prompto could easily smell the sunscreen when he stood too close. Noctis was holding a tackle box in his hand and was already perusing the rods on display in the little shop. There was a sign on the wall that had a detailed schedule of when the fishing boats would head out. They only had four availabilities and it looked like they were about fifteen minutes early to the next one.

The three of them had met outside Prompto’s hotel before heading to the docks. It was a smaller then the fancy place the prince and company were staying at, but nice enough for Prompto’s taste. There was a small room service menu, a bedspread softer than anything Prompto had ever slept on, and a breakfast bar that had bagels and muffins and coffee.

Prompto had grabbed two muffins and an apple, and ended up given the muffins to Gladio and Noctis, keeping the apple for himself. It occurred to him that morning when he stepped out of his hotel and saw Gladio’s looming present that he probably should have asked the prince for his phone number. A warning would have been nice.

(If it was even allowed. Prompto really didn’t know what the protocol was for any of this. This budding friendship. So far, it all felt so easy. Meeting Noctis, hanging out, and feeling…_more_. More than something as simple as friendship. Prompto never knew a crush could feel this way. He’d never had a crush that felt so _real_. But that was a thought for another time entirely. Besides, pretty much the half of the nation had a crush on Noctis. Prompto didn’t stand a chance.)

Still, all of that was in the past and now Prompto determined to enjoy his day with Noctis even with the ever present Gladio silently accompanying them. And even though he agreed to this, fishing was honestly the last thing Prompto had in mind for a fun day. At least they would be on a boat in the bay. That sounded kind of nice.

(It also helped to see Noctis so damn excited about fishing. Prompto had heard from word of mouth that the prince liked to fish, but he didn’t realize that Noctis absolutely _loved_ to fish. He was practically bouncing off the walls like Prompto on a chocobo ranch.)

The small shop across from the harbor held all sorts of fishing supplies. Lures and bait, line and rods, it all looked kind of cool. Everything was meticulously laid out so that while the place was full, it didn’t look crowded. Prompto kind of liked it. He pulled out his camera.

“What are you taking a picture for?” Gladio’s voice behind him made Prompto jump. His finger pressed the shutter, surely taking a blurry picture of the shop.

“Oh uh, I just— well I like the way this place looks, I guess?” Prompto fidgeted with his camera, self-conscious all the sudden. 

Gladio frowned. “It’s just a tackle shop.”

“Well yeah, but, the way everything is sorted. It kind of looks cool.”

It was weird trying to explain what he saw. Prompto used to run into that problem a lot with his parents. They got him his first camera when he was just a little kid. Maybe nine or ten years-old. Prompto remember using that little digital camera like it was another part of him. He’d stop every few steps, clamoring to turn on the device and capture a moment he saw out of the corner of his eye. His mom would get impatient. His dad sometime got irate.

_“Why do you need a picture of that? It’s just a tree.”_

_But can’t you see it? The way the sunlight catches the leaves and you can see all the veins in perfect clarity? It’s amazing. _

_“Prompto, hurry up! It’s just an advertisement. You don’t need a picture!”_

_I’m not looking at the advertisement, I’m looking at the graffiti next to it. Look at the colors! They practically pop off the grey stone wall. Doesn’t it look amazing? Doesn’t make you want to stare at it for hours?_

Prompto had tried to explain what he saw all the time when he was younger, but it never came out right. It still doesn’t come out right. At least, not until he lines up the perfect shot. With his camera in hand, he could _show_ people what he saw. The beautiful moments that happened all around them.

“Let me show you what I mean.” Prompto held up his camera again and focused on his shot. He took a few, changed a setting or two, then knelt down and took another. For his last shot, Noctis had wondered into the frame. He was standing behind a row of fishing poles. It was hard to see his face with all the poles, not to mention the hat pulled down far enough to cover his eyes, but Prompto liked it. He liked that it made Noctis look like he could be anyone. Like a mystery.

Prompto took a step back and snapped the picture. He checked his shots in the viewfinder and smiled.

“Here, take a look.” He held his camera out to Gladio.

It was nerve racking waiting to hear what Gladio thought. The man’s face was stupidly stoic, and Prompto couldn’t even guess what was going through his mind. At least Gladio wasn’t frowning or making a weird face. That had to be good, right?

“I like the last one.” Gladio finally spoke. He might have even had a smile on his face. “You managed to make Noct’s dumb hat actually look good on him. Probably because you can’t see his face.”

“I can hear you.” Noctis grumbled from the other side of the store.

Prompto sputtered out a laugh. Okay, so maybe Gladio wasn’t going to murder him.


	13. "I can't come back."

Noctis was currently in the middle of reattaching bait to his lure. They had been out on the water for over an hour and he still hadn’t caught anything.

“Yo, Noct.” Gladio called. He was currently sitting near the bow of the boat, practically hiding in the shade created by the upper deck. “We should probably head back soon. Blondie is practically a tomato.”

Prompto whined. “Am not! I’m just a little red…”

“You’re going to have to soak in aloe when we get back.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve got some great shots of the city from here. And look! I got some pictures of those dolphins!”

Gladio looked less than impressed. He was right though. Prompto’s cheeks and nose were bright red and from where Noct was standing, it looked like his shoulders were even darker. Prompto had lathered on sunscreen before they set off, but apparently his fair skin needed a more heavy duty sun block.

Noctis looked out onto the water, his brow creased. “I can’t go back without catching anything.” He groaned. “Then this whole boat ride would have been a waste of time.”

“Dude, it’s not a waste. I’ve got some really great shots.” Prompto smiled. “And, Gladio and I bonded. We’re totally bros now.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, shorty.” Gladio was failing to hide his amused smile.

“Okay, we’re like, thirty percent away from becoming bros.” 

“Better.”

Don’t get him wrong, Noctis was very pleased to see Gladio and Prompto getting along. Back in the tackle shop, Prompto worked his magic and actually got Gladio to crack a joke. Even if it was at Noctis’ expense, Gladio hardly loosened up like that around anyone. The fact that he did so around Prompto was a feat.

With that little problem fixed, Noctis was hoping that the rest of his day would go as smoothly. But apparently not.

“Look, how about we head back in twenty? That’ll give me one last shot to get something.”

Gladio glanced shrugged. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when Prompto starts glowing from how bad his sunburn is.”

“It’s not that bad…” Prompto grumbled.

With his bait secure, Noctis cast out his final line and got ready to wait. He was sure that he’d felt something tug on his line earlier. And just a moment ago, the calm water was momentarily broken by a curious fish. This was his chance.

After fifteen minutes of waiting, something finally bit.

“Finally!” Noctis exclaimed. He jumped up from his chair and began tugging on his fishing pole. The resistance he felt earlier only got stronger. The hook must have been secure.

“Wait, you got something?” Prompto was at his side in and instant. “Don’t reel it in yet! I’ve got to get a picture!”

Noctis laughed, his excitement bubbling over. “I’m going to lose if I wait! You got to be quick, Prom.”

The fish was actually putting up a good fight. Noctis was constantly switching between reeling and relenting, trying to make sure the line didn’t snap with near constant tension. Prompto was practically jumping around Noctis. His camera shutter was going crazy and he was talking so fast that none of his words were understandable.

Finally, _finally_, Noctis had his catch right at the edge of the boat.

“Gladio—“

“Already on it.” Gladio had appeared out of pretty much nowhere, a net in his hands. He’d been fishing with Noctis long enough to know what to do.

Gladio and Noctis worked together to get the fished out of the water and onto the deck. It was flipping huge, and colorful. Its scales were sparkling in the sunlight. Noctis grinned.

“Whoa…look at it. It’s giant!” Prompto gushed. He was still taking pictures, of the fish, of Noctis, he really took photos of everything.

“Damn, nice job, Noct.” Gladio added. “I’m surprised you managed to reel that in with your scrawny arms.”

“I’m just going to ignore that last part.” Noctis said.

“Hey guys, let’s get a pic together!” Prompto didn’t give either of them a chance to say no (not that they would). He hurried to Noctis’ side and threw an arm around his shoulder. “Gladio, get in here!”

“Eh, why not.” Gladio stood at Noctis’s other side and dropped his forearm on Noctis’ head like an arm rest.

“Dude—“ Noctis groaned, but he didn’t have a chance to say much else.

“Everybody ready?” Prompto held out his camera. “Say cheese!” 


	14. "That's what I'm talking about!"

As soon as they got back to shore, Noctis dragged Prompto back to his hotel to scrounge up some aloe for his sun burn.

“Nooooct.” Prompto whined. “I’m fine, this can wait till later.”

“If we wait till later, it’ll just hurt more. Stop complaining.”

“Dude, I’ll be _fine_. Promise!”

“You’re glowing.”

“Am not.”

“And I bet it hurts.”

Prompto shifted on his heels. “…it’s a little uncomfortable.”

“That settles it. Let’s go. Hey, Gladio—?”

“I already texted Iggy.” Gladio answered. “He says there’s stuff in his suit case.”

“Awesome.”

Prompto sighed. “I feel like a baby chocobo with an overprotective mother.”

“You kind of are.” Gladio commented. Noctis snorted.

Back at the hotel, Gladio had disappeared. He said something about meeting up with an old friend and then vanished soon after. Noctis spend five whole minutes trying to figure out how a giant like Gladio could disappear in seconds. Giving up on solving that riddle, Noctis ushered Prompto up to their room.

He threw open the door and set his tackle box down on the nearest table. Noctis quickly stored his freshly wrapped fish in the freezer. His plan was to visit his dad’s friend Weskham later that day and give him the fish for his restaurant. After all, it wasn’t like Noctis had the means to cook the fish. They didn’t exactly have a kitchen in their hotel room.

Prompto was still standing near the door.

“You can come in. Stop being weird.” Noctis teased.

Prompto startled. “Ah, sorry! I’ve just never been in a room this fancy before. It’s like something out of a movie.”

Noctis took a moment to look around. It didn’t feel any different from what he was used to. Richly colored carpet, ornate furniture, a TV as larger as a dresser and a so on. This was Noctis’ world. A world of posh rooms and glittering decorations. To him, it was normal. To Prompto, it was anything but.

The prince rubbed the back on his neck. “Uh, you can sit if you want. I’ll go find the stuff.”

Noctis hurried out of the sitting room and headed toward the bedrooms. The suite was large enough to house a family.

The aloe was easy enough to find in Ignis’ meticulously sorted luggage. Noctis almost laughed at the small pharmacy his advisor seemed to carry with him. He had everything from band aids to cough medicine with him. Of course, it was usually a good thing he was always so prepared. 

When he went back to the main room, Prompto had made himself at home.

“Hey, want to watch this video of this guy making a knife out of cardboard?” Prompto was sprawled on the couch with the TV remote in his hand.

Noctis shook his head, his smile wider and fonder than he could ever remember it being. “Yeah sure. But first.” He held up the bottle and shook it.

Prompto made a grabbing motion with his hands. Noctis sat on and handed the aloe to his friend. Prompto immediately popped open the cap and applied some directly to his shoulder. He sighed.

“Ah, that’s the stuff.”

The sun burn must have been bugging him more then he let on.

“Gladio was right. I want to fill a bathtub up with this stuff and just drown in it.”

“And to think, all this time you kept saying you were fine.” Noctis said.

“I may have been stretching the truth. Just a little.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. After he was done with his shoulders, Prompto turned on the video and set to work applying the gel to his cheeks. While Noctis was genuinely fascinated to find out how a person could make a knife out of cardboard, his attention kept getting stolen by the blonde.

He really couldn’t help it. No matter what logic popped up in his head, Noctis couldn’t stop his crush from growing. It was ridiculous to even consider that his feelings were so strong. They had barely known each other for a few days, and yet Noctis was ready to drop everything and spend his whole vacation with Prompto. Whatever plans he’d made were forgotten the moment he heard Prompto laugh and made him smile. Noctis knew, in the back of his mind, that this was temporary, but he didn’t let that stop him. He was going to soak up as much as Prompto as he could.

And maybe later, when they were both back in Insomnia, they _could _keep this going. Whatever this was. It’s wouldn’t be as easy as vacation. Noctis was a full time student along with being royalty. What with classes, homework, meetings and other royal functions, Noctis was lucky if he got a weekend to himself. Prompto had to be busy too. He was a professional photographer after all. His work could literally take him anywhere.

It would be worth it, thought. It would be so worth the stress and missed sleep to meet up with Prompto when he could. Even if it was just for an hour. 

There were many things in Noctis life that were planned from the moment he was born. It was a solid fact that he would be king one day. Leading up to that, it was inevitable that many of his days would be filled with meetings and politics and all manner of things that he didn’t get to choose. Noctis knew all this. Accepted it, even though he chafed under the responsibilities some times. It was his duty.

Noctis life as a Caelum meant that his future was already decide. Of course, his legacy and who he wanted beside him were still free for him to choose.

While his life might be set in stone, Noctis was ready to carve out a little spot for himself. One where Prompto would fit comfortably in whatever way he wanted. Whether it was just a friend or something more, Noctis was determined to make Prompto a part of his future. No matter the trouble.


	15. "Listen. No really listen."

“You missed some on your nose.” Noctis said quietly. Prompto reached up. There was a glob of gel he hadn’t quiet rubbed in all the way.

“Thanks, dude.”

“No problem.”

Something felt different. In the past fifteen or so minutes since they got to Noctis’ hotel room, something had changed. And that change happened with the prince himself.

Prompto couldn’t really figure out what went wrong. All day, things had been fine. They had been talking and joking with ease. Now all the sudden there was a heaviness in the air. An awkward tension that hasn’t been there since the first time they met. Even then, the weirdness between them faded quickly, but now it seemed determined to stay. Prompto didn’t know what to do.

“Do you want to see the photos I took today?” he asked. It was an easy topic that Prompto felt comfortable with. That and it lent itself to less talking so that was a plus.

“Yeah.” Noctis nodded. If Prompto didn’t know any better, he’d say that the prince was sitting a little closer than before. Prompto decided that it didn’t matter. They’d have to sit closer to look at the photos together anyway.

Prompto flicked on his camera and pulled up the photos from the day. He handed it Noctis.

“I took a ton.” He grinned. “There was just so much to see from the boat.”

Noctis was flipping through the photos slowly, taking his time to appreciate each image before moving on. He smirked when a shot of Gladio came on screen.

“Did he fall asleep?”

“Only for a minute or two.” Prompto shrugged.

“I want to put this on the training room wall. We can put a plaque under it that says something like ‘Shield on Duty’.”

“Or ‘World’s Best Shield’.” Prompto added.

“Let’s do both. I can give the other one to his dad for Christmas.”

Prompto laughed.

Noctis continued to scroll through the photos one at a time. Every few shots, Prompto would make a comment. He’d say something about the lighting or the overall composition. He would point out the ones he liked the most or lament about missing the perfect shot. The entire time Noctis didn’t say much. His comments were short. Usually only one or two words. It was driving Prompto up a wall.

It felt like hours until they got to the photos from the tackle shop. Noctis scrolled all the way to the end before backing up and settling on the photo of him hidden behind the row of rods.

“My dad would like this one.” He said.

“Yeah?” Prompto asked. It still took him a moment to remember that Noctis’ dad was technically the King of Lucis. Just thinking about that fact was startling.

“Think we could send it to him?”

“Y-yeah. Sure! I have my laptop back at my hotel, so I can download it and send it to Ignis, since y’know, I have his email.”

Noctis nodded. “Cool.”

Silence took hold once again. Prompto fidgeted in his seat. It was one thing having an awkward moment with a friend, but it was another thing entirely to have a moment like this with the guy he was currently crushing on.

_Not that anything will come of that crush_, Prompto reminded himself. _Just be cool, Prompto. Don’t make this any weirder than it already is. _

Suddenly, Noctis turned to face Prompto.

“Do you want to have dinner with me?” he said in a rush.

Prompto blinked. “Uh yeah? I mean, wasn’t that the plan to begin with?”

“N-no…well yeah it was, but I’m talking about _dinner_ dinner.”

A thought fluttered in Prompto’s mind. A crazy thought. And impossible thought. There was no way Noctis meant…

“I’m not sure I follow, dude.” Prompto said cautiously.

Noctis abruptly stood up, setting the camera down on the coffee table.

“Okay, okay so this is weird…” he murmured. “Look, Prompto. I uh, I like you. A lot.”

“…thanks? I like you too, buddy. That’s probably why we became friends so fast.”

(Hello, state of denial? Yeah, were going to send another resident to you. His name is Prompto and he has a tendency to be a dumbass.)

Noctis tossed his head back and groaned. “Son of a— Prompto. Listen to what I’m saying, okay?”

“Um…okay? But I am?”

“No, really listen!” Noctis took a breath and planted himself in front of the blonde. “I _like_ you.”

Prompto stared up at the prince. _Wait…what the fuck?_

“…what the fuck…” he whispered. His face felt like it was burning, although that might just be the sunburn.

Noctis slumped in relief. “Oh sweet Shiva, he finally gets it.”

“W-wait, Noct…you like me? Like, _like me_ like me?”

“I think we’re ruining the word ‘like’ at this point.”

Prompto jumped up. “You actually like me?!”

Noctis, for his part, looked utterly flabbergasted at Prompto’s reaction. “Yes…? Is that a bad thing?”

“N-no! I just don’t really get why. I mean, you’re a flipping prince!”

“Yeah? And what’s that have to do with anything?” For the first time during this conversation, Noctis’ expression turned hard. Prompto’s mini panic attack calmed.

“Nothing! Nothing at all. It’s just—well I just never thought you’d be into someone like me. I’m practically a nobody.” He said honestly. No matter how much Prompto believed that statement, Noctis looked hell-bent to refute it.

The prince practically marched to Prompto’s side, grabbing his shoulders and holding the blonde tight.

“You’re not nobody.” He said fiercely. “You’re kind and goofy and ridiculously cute. You make me smile all the damn time and just being around you makes me happy. Hell, I don’t know what it is, but I just want to be around you all the time. You’re like a freaking battery or drug or _something_. Something that makes me feel. Something that makes me care. Something…some_one _who helps me remember that I’m more than just a prince. You—you…”

Noctis was losing steam. His fierce expression was slowly fading away and melting into something a little more unsure. Prompto reached out and decided to help Noctis along.

“I’m what?” He asked gently. “What am I, Noctis?”

“You’re _you_. You’re Prompto. And I really, _really_ want to spend more time with you.”

Prompto grinned. His chest was felt like it was bursting from the inside and his stomach was alight with butterflies. No one had ever said that before. No one had ever cared. Prompto always knew he was a side character to most people he met. Only needed for a short time before that person moved on to their main quest. He knew that. He accepted that. He _lived_ with that, even though it pained him to think that he was no one’s first choice. Even his own parents would choose each other before they thought of him. The older Prompto got, the more he realized that they never truly saw him as their son. They still looked at him like the little boy they adopted all that time ago. Hanging on the outside. Never really let in.

Noctis was different. He _looked_ at Prompto, actually looked. Noctis took the time to listen to him. He sat down and learned about him. Noctis even made time for him in his bust day even after he found out things that Prompto wasn’t too eager to share. Prompto may not be Noct’s first choice, but he was close. Closer than Prompto even dreamed he’d be to anyone. Noctis…he liked Prompto. He cared.

Noctis made Prompto feel _wanted_.

“I…want to spend more time with you too, Noct. I-I…like you, too.” He admitted. It felt good to finally say that out loud. “Honestly, I just didn’t think I had a chance.”

Noctis scoffed, his teasing gaze back in full force. “Give yourself more credit, nerd. I pretty much thought you were cute from the moment I saw you at the museum.”

“The museum? Damn, Noct, this whole time? Ah, why does that make me feel embarrassed?? You should be the one getting all weird, not me.” Prompto was now positive that his cheeks were flush from Noctis confession and not his sunburn. It was a different kind of heat.

Noctis laughed. “Can we get back on topic now? You never actually answered my question. Dinner? Tonight?”

“Huh? Oh hell yeah! And uh, just to clarify cause I’m only like sixty-three percent positive that I didn’t hallucinate the past ten minutes, but this_ is_ a d-date…right?” 

“Yes, Prompto. This would be a date.” Noctis said dryly. He couldn’t seem to hide his smile all the way.

“Cool. Awesome. Right on.” Prompto paused, his eyes widening. “Holy shit, I’m going on a date with the prince.”

“You are.”

“I’m…I think I’m going to vomit.”

“Do you always get this worked up before a date? Or am I a special case?” Noctis asked.

“Nope, this is just my normal routine. Which is probably why I’ve never had a boyfriend. Or girlfriend. I’m pretty much a mess of nerves when it comes to relationship stuff.” Prompto admitted.

“Same.”

Prompto chucked. “Wow, were both kind of hopeless, huh?”

Noctis’ smile was just as bright. “Yeah, we are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't planning on the romance happening so soon. But then i started re-reading Wayward Son. And there were some moments between the characters that were so soft and sweet that I wanted to write something soft and sweet too. Hope you all liked it :D


	16. "There is just something about him."

“There’s just something about him, Ignis.” Noctis said. He’d been quietly talking about Prompto for nearly an hour. Gladio had found a nice girl to spend time with which meant that Ignis was the only one present for Nocits’ little lovesick rambling. It would be endearing if he did more than just sigh and start sentences he never intended to finish.

“So you’ve said. Although you’ve yet to go into detail about this certain something that young Prompto possess.” Ignis pointed out gently.

“He’s special.” Noctis said firmly.

“So I’ve gathered.”

The young prince was silent for a moment, his brow furrowed. Noctis was sprawled out on the couch with his ankles crossed on top of the arm. He hadn’t really moved since Ignis came back. He hadn’t really done much besides act all smitten. Ignis was aware of the crush the prince had, however he wasn’t aware of just how deep those feelings ran. It had only been a handful of days, but it seemed as though Noctis was falling in love.

It almost seemed impossible. And not because of the timing. It was a well-known fact that King Regis fell for the late Queen Aulea in a matter of hours. Their courtship was long, but that was mainly for show. The couple were inspirable almost from the moment they met.

Ignis’ uncle used to joke that it was just the way with the Caelums, the men especially. When the fell, they fell hard and no amount of energy could sway them. It always seemed to work out too, with a few minor exceptions. Maybe it was dumb luck, but Ignis quietly believed that is was a blessing of sorts. Being a royal was hard work. Every moment of their lives were under scrutiny. Having someone by your side through it all…it eased those challenges.

No, it seemed impossible because Noctis had never shown the slightest interest in love, dating or romance. In their modern age, the subject of marriage for young royals wasn’t pushed. There was plenty of time for all that.

Noctis never really had crushes, at least none that he wore on his sleeve like this. Ignis distinctly remembers growing up when everyone Noctis age began going on and on about dating. Noctis had asked Ignis and Gladio what the big deal was. Why everyone was getting all excited about getting close to one another. He just never found someone who he wanted to get to know better.

Until now, of course. And it was quiet the pleasant surprise.

“Hey…Ignis?” Noctis voice was a bit louder than before. He seemed to be finally coming out of his daze.

“Yes, Noct?”

“What the hell am I supposed to do on a date?”

Ignis shut his book so quickly he nearly dropped it. “A date?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re going on a date? With Prompto, I imagine?”

“Yeah…you don’t have to sound so shocked. I can actually function like a human when you’re not around.” A pause. “And how do you know it’s with Prompto?”

Ignis chose his words carefully. “I simply noticed a chemistry between the two of you when we shared lunch together. You both seemed quiet infatuated with each other.” _That and you are bloody obvious, Noct_.

Noctis nodded. “Well, I asked him out to dinner tonight. Like on a_ real_ date. I don’t what to do or what he’s expecting.”

“Well, I don’t think he’d be expecting much…”

“Oh that makes me feel better.”

“Let me phrase this properly.” Ignis set his book on the table and sat up straight. “From my few interactions with him, Prompto seems most comfortable in casual situations. He also appeared immensely happy simply conversing with you and discussing all your shared interests.”

Noctis frowned. “Meaning…?”

“Meaning that you don’t need to over think this, Noct. You’ve said it yourself. Prompto simply likes who you are. You don’t need to do anything else then just be yourself.”

“But aren’t date supposed to be, I don’t know, different?”

“They can be. And maybe one day the two of you will explore different activities together, but this is your first outing together. You’re still in the beginning. Take that time and get to know one another even better. That’s my advice.”

Noctis blinked slowly at Ignis, like a cat sizing him up. Ignis could practically see the thoughts running rampart through his mind at that moment. After a good amount of time, Noctis finally sat up and murmured something about taking a shower. 

On his way to gather his thing, Noctis paused, his back still facing Ignis.

“Thanks, Iggy.” He said quietly. Ignis smiled warmly.

“You’re welcome, Noct.”


	17. "Secrets? I love secrets."

**Ignis: ** _Would you like to know a secret?_

**Gladio: ** _Secret?_

**Gladio: ** _Hell yeah. You know I love secrets._

**Ignis: ** _Discovering you penchant for gossip is still the most shocking moment of my young life._

**Gladio: ** _Stop stalling and get on with it._

**Ignis: ** _Very well._

**Ignis: ** _Noctis has a crush._

**Gladio: ** _That’s not a secret. Pretty sure all of Altsia knows._

**Gladio: *** _Altissia_

**Ignis: ** _True, but there has been a recent development that’s rather surprising._

**Gladio: ** _I stg iggy stop stalling._

**Ignis: ** _Noct asked Prompto out on a date. _

**Ignis: ** _And Prompto said yes._

**Gladio: ** _Bullshit._

**Ignis: ** _It’s true._

**Gladio: ** _…_

**Gladio: ** _…_

**Gladio: ** _…_

**Ignis:** _Gladio?_

**Gladio:** _Should we be concerned about this?_

**Ignis:** _How so?_

**Gladio:** _It’s kind of fast._

**Ignis:** _It is._

**Gladio:** _I don’t think Prompto means any harm but…_

**Ignis:** _But we have to think of how this will affect Noct. I know. _

**Gladio:** _The press would have a field day. Noct has never let on about his sexuality to the public. He never felt like he needed too._

**Ignis:** _That is true._

**Ignis:** _However we might be getting ahead of ourselves. _

**Ignis:** _We don’t even know if this little romance will continue after our vacation._

**Gladio:** _Please, have you seen the way those too look at each other?_

**Gladio:** _And besides, isn’t it part of your job description to think about this stuff?_

**Ignis:** _You have a point._

**Ignis:** _It has crossed my mind. The reaction of the public and press if this continues._

**Ignis:** _I’m trying to remain positive. For Noct’s sake._

**Gladio:** _I bet he was freaking out. And excited. _

**Ignis:** _Indeed he was. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen his so vibrant. _

**Gladio:** _Even if they just stay friends, I think blondie is good for him. Makes him feel less alone._

**Ignis:** _I have to agree with you about that._

**Ignis:** _For as much as we support Noct and treat him as our friend, he is still our prince. _

**Ignis:** _We still have a duty._

**Gladio:** _Yeah._

**Gladio:** _Well, I think I’ll take a note out of you book and try not to think too hard about this. _

**Gladio:** _We’re on vacation after all._

**Ignis:** _A wise plan._

**Ignis:** _Will I be seeing you for dinner? Or are you going to be out?_

**Gladio:** _Out._

**Ignis:** _Excellent._

**Gladio:** _You got plans too?_

**Ignis:** _As a matter of fact, yes._

**Gladio:** _Tell me. Tell me now._

**Ignis:** _I met a chef while out and about today in town and she offered to take me to a class tonight to learn a few Altissian cuisines._

**Gladio:** _You’re going on a daaaaaaaaaateeeee_

**Ignis:** _Hush._

**Gladio:** _Damn, Altissia has been good to us. We all got dates by the third day. _

**Ignis:** _It’s not a date._

**Gladio:** _Uh huh._

**Ignis:** _It’s not!_

**Gladio:** _Sure it isn’t, buddy._

**Ignis:** _Oh shove off Gladio._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so tiny update, I am no longer ahead of schedule D: so i'll probably be writing and posting these day of from now on, so there might be a few more grammar mistakes because of that. sorry!  
thanks for reading, commenting and kudos! I really appreciate it :D


	18. "Yes, I admit it, you were right."

Exactly one hour before their date, Prompto was sitting in his hotel room with absolutely no idea what to wear.

“I mean, it’s just Noct. I don’t think he expects me to be all fancy for a night out. Right?” Prompto gazed at the small chocobo figurine on the bedside table. It was a little gift he got himself when he visited Wiz’s Chocobo Ranch a few years back. Since then, he’s brought it with him where ever he travels, almost like a good luck charm. It also helped to have something physical to aim his ramblings at.

Prompto had his entire wardrobe strewn across the room. Shirts, pants, shoes and jackets, nothing was really calling out to him. Most of his stuff was super casual. What if Noctis was expecting more?

“I’m totally over thinking this, huh?” he asked the chocobo. Its painted black eyes stared at him blankly. “Yeah, that’s what I thought you’d say.” He joked.

He really needed a second opinion. And not just from an inanimate object that he talks to on occasion. Prompto strode to the desk where his phone sat, charging. He hesitated opening up the messenger app.

It wasn’t like he didn’t have friends. Prompto had a few people he still talked to from high school, and there was a really nice girl he sat next to in his community college class. Work was mostly filled with nice people, but all of them were still in the ‘coworker’ zone. Not the friend zone.

A name popped up in his head that Prompto hadn’t thought of for a while. An old friend, from way back in elementary school that he talked to sporadically. He unlocked his phone and scrolled down to her name.

**Prompto:** _Hey Luna! Okay so I know it’s been awhile (btws how are you??) but I need your help! Got a minute??_ _ (__ーー__;)_

Prompto sat at the desk and watched his phone like a voretooth on the prowl. It took a solid ten minutes before he got a reply.

**Luna:** _Prompto! It has been too long <3_

**Luna:** _Of course I have time for you! What do you need?_

Prompto grinned.

**Prompto:** _Ur the best!!!!_

**Prompto:** _\\(__≧∇≦__)/_

**Prompto:** _Mmmkay so here’s the thing. I’m going on a date in like an hour and I have no idea what to wear (__Ｔ__▽__Ｔ)_

**Prompto: ** _HALP._

**Luna:** _!!!!!_

**Luna:** _You MUST tell me all about them! But first let’s get you sorted. Send me a picture of your options!_

Prompto meticulously took pictures of everything he brought with him and sent them to Luna. Eventually, it became too annoying to text back and forth so the pair decided to video chat instead. Prompto had his computer propped on up the bed. On the screen, Luna was snacking on a bowl of grapes with her light blonde hair in a messy bun on top of her head. Sometimes, Prompto forgot just how pretty his friend was.

Luna and Prompto were pen pals way back in elementary school. It was something their entire class took part in, but as far as he knew, Prompto and Luna were the only ones that got a real friendship out of the experience. Luna lived in Tenebrae with her mother and over protective brother. Her family was actually decedents of the old royal family that used to rule Tenebrae, before the country restructured their government decades ago. Apparently her family still had some sort of power, even though they weren’t technically royals.

Luna was a bright spot in Prompto’s childhood. They wrote letters to each often and sometimes even sent small packages. Prompto started that tradition when he sent her a handful of photos he had taken around the city. Luna responded in kind by sending him a box full of candy.

It when on like that for years until they eventually ditched writing and began emailing and texting. The first time they video chatted, Prompto felt like he couldn’t be more awkward. But nothing changed as time went on. Their friendship grew and changed with them into something special.

“Okay, take a look.” Prompto stepped out of the bathroom and faced the camera. They were currently on their third outfit.

Luna tilted her head to the side. “_Hmm, I think I still liked the first shirt better_.” She finally said.

“You think? But it has cactuar on it.” He frowned.

“_That’s why I like it. It’s more you_.” She grinned.

Prompto picked up the shirt and shook it out. It was a dark grey color with a green outline of a cactuar on the front. The green was so bright it almost looked like a neon sign. Prompto turned back to the camera.

“Okay I’ll bite, what would you put with it?”

“_I like that vest your wearing. Maybe try that and those black jeans from the second outfit_?”

“’Kay. Be right back!” Prompto grabbed the clothes and hurried back into the bathroom. Once dressed he studied himself in the mirror.

His face was still pretty red from their fishing trip that morning, but at least it didn’t hurt. Prompto was positive that he was going to have fifty new freckles crowding his cheeks after this. The outfit Luna picked actually looked pretty good. The cactuar shirt fit well, not stretching oddly of hanging loose anywhere. The vest was an old denim jacket that Prompto had hacked the sleeves off ages ago with a pair of scissors. Over the years, he’d sewn on patches and beads and other odds and ends until the vest took a life of its own. Prompto could trace his whole adolescent history on that one garment.

The whole outfit just suited Prompto’s personal taste. From the goofy shirt to the more punk aesthetic pieces, it really did make him look different. More comfortable then the other, more tame outfits he tried on previously. Luna definitely knew what she was doing. With one last look, Prompto stepped out of the bathroom.

“_Perfect_!” Luna exclaimed. “_See, I told you it would look good_.”

Prompto felt his face flush. “Yeah yeah, you were right, I admit it.”

“_I like this much better. You’re going to sweep this boy off his feet!”_

“Pretty sure he’d going to do the sweeping, Luna. He’s…really something.”

Luna had a wide, wild look in her eye. She was _very_ interested in her friend’s love life. “_While it’s absolutely killing me not to know all the details, you’ll just have to fill me in later. He should be coming to pick you up soon, yes_?”

Prompto checked his phone. “Yeah. Any minute now.”

“_Have fun, Prompto! And just remember to be yourself. I know you get nerves about these things, but you have no reason to be. You’re wonderful and I’m sure he knows that too_.”

Prompto was now positive that his face was as red as a beet. “Ah, Luna! You can’t just say that! Especially since I can’t hug you right now.”

Luna giggled. “_I can and I will. It’s part of my job description_.”

“Really? I don’t remember putting that in the application.” Prompto joked.

“_Well it is. Right under the section that says you have to call me immediately afterwards and tell me how your date went.”_

“Now it’s ringing a bell.”

“_Actually, I think that ringing you hear is your phone_.”

Prompto jumped. “Ah! It’s him! What do I do?”

“_What do you—answer it Prompto! He’s probably here to pick you up_.”

“Oh. Right. Uh, talk to you later?”

Luna laughed again. “_Yes, I’ll talk to you soon. Have fun_!”

“Will do. Bye Luna!” Prompto waved to his friend before quickly hanging up the video call. Then, he took a deep breath and answered his phone.

“Hello?”

“_Hey, Prom_.” Nocits voice sent an actual shiver down Prompto’s spine. “_I’m in the lobby. Ready_?”

“Yeah! I’ll be down in a jiffy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't feel like making Luna the oracle or a princess. She's just from a well to do family in Tenebrae and friends with Prompto :D


	19. "You could talk about it, you know."

Weskham had set them up a table away from the normal dinning area. They were as close to the water edge as the could be, the only thing keeping them from dropping their cutlery in the canal was a narrow planter with budding flowers. There was a candle on the table and paper lanterns everywhere. It was stupidly romantic.

Noctis couldn’t really describe what he was feeling in that moment. He couldn’t find words for how he felt when he met Prompto outside his hotel. It was a good feeling. An amazing one. It felt too big. Like he didn’t have the heart or mind to contain it.

Prompto looked nervous when they first met up, but that was expected. Noctis was a literal mess right up until Ignis basically shoved him in the shower and laid out clothes for him to wear. Honestly, Noctis would be lost without Ignis sometimes.

They both seemed to relax on their way to Weskham’s, but Noctis was still buzzing. Every moment he spent with Prompto just made him excited.

“Dude, this place is amazing.” Prompto was grinning from ear to ear. “Even this salad is one of the best things I’ve ever had and I usually suffer when I eat salads.”

“If you eat all of that, you’re not going to have room for the main course.”

“Oo, good point. I can’t wait for that lasagna.” Prompto set down his fork, sitting back in his chair. “So, you were pretty friendly with the guy at the bar. How do you know him?”

Noctis mimicked Prompto and leaned back. “That’s Weskham. He owns this place. He and my dad have known each other forever.”

“Really? Not gonna lie, it’s kind of hard to picture the king just hanging out at a bar like this.”

Noctis chuckled. “Don’t let all the fancy stuff fool you. He’s a typical, nerdy dad. Who do you think I got my love of fishing from?”

That made Prompto laugh. His cheeks were red, but Noctis wasn’t sure if that was because he was blushing or just sunburnt. It was probably a little of both.

“What are your parents like?” Noctis asked. “I mean, the whole country knows mine. But if you want to hear about any embarrassing stories about my dad that ruin his king image, I’d be happy to share.”

Prompto laughed again, his eyes bright. “I might take you up on that.”

A waitress came by moments later with their main course. Prompto’s eyes widened at the sight while Noctis was distracted by the tantalizing smell of his roasted fish. After a few minutes of sampling their plates, Prompto finally answered Noctis question.

“My parents are pretty normal, I guess. Typical busy professionals or whatever.”

“Do you have any siblings or anything?”

Prompto tilted his head. “Is this an interrogation?”

“I’m getting to know you better. Isn’t that what your supposed to do on first dates?” Noctis playfully argued.

“Guess you have a point. We probably should have covered this stuff already when we first met. But no, no siblings. Only child.”

“Same. But you already knew that. Damn, I forgot how hard it can be to make small talk when literally everyone knows me already.”

“Oh poor, Noct!” Prompto lamented dramatically. “Cursed with having everyone know his name!”

Noctis kicked him under the table. “Jerk.”

“Ow.”

The pair tried each other’s meals. There was a mini fork battle when Prompto tired to steal the last of Noctis roasted potatoes, which ended in them splitting it instead. The entire dinner, Noctis felt happy and warm. His crush on Prompto was rapidly shifting into something more and Noctis was enjoying the ride. He couldn’t tell if Prompto was feeling anything remotely close to the rush that Noctis was feeling. And the thought that he wasn’t was a bit daunting. But this was their first date, only three days after meeting each other. There was no rush.

Somehow, their conversation began delving into their childhoods. More specifically, school.

“I was definitely the weird quiet kid all throughout elementary and middle school.” Noctis reminisced. “Like yeah, some of the other kids still tried to talk to me, but I just never knew what to say.”

“So what, you just silently stared at them until they went away?” Prompto asked, mostly as a joke.

“Yup.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah.”

Prompto burst out laughing. Noctis rolled his eyes fondly.

“Yeah yeah, make fun of me. I was weird. Still am.”

“But it’s a good kind of weird.” Prompto smiled.

Noctis felt his heart stutter in his chest. “Y-yeah, uh. So, what were you like in school? Just as nerdy as you are now?”

Prompto deflated a bit, his smile more self-deprecating. “Unfortunately, yes. Didn’t really help me make friends.”

“I didn’t have many either.” Noctis added quickly. “At least, the friends I did end up having were pretty temporary. They didn’t actually care about me. They liked my title.”

“Dude that…that sucks.”

Noctis shrugged. “It does. But that’s just something I have to deal with. Something that I can learn from.”

“You shouldn’t have too.” Prompto said quietly. “I mean, you shouldn’t have had to deal with greedy people like that when you were just a kid. I…I bet it could get lonely.”

Noctis closed his mouth with a snap. He hadn’t realized that his jaw was slowly dropping the more Prompto spoke. Noctis was used to greed. He’d seen it in the eyes of adults pushing their kids to be his friends. Seen it in the few girls brash enough to flirt with him in high school and hang off his arm. He’d seen it in reporters, council members, even people passing him on the street.

Greed was like a disease, and it followed Noctis everywhere. No matter where he went, there was always someone sick with it. They all wanted a piece of him. A part of the young, rich prince. They wanted his fame, his money, his influence. They wanted so much, and never thought about what they were asking.

It was lonely. People flocked to him, but all they saw was a picture-perfect image. They saw money and royalty. They didn’t see Noctis. They didn’t see him crumbling.

“I-it was.” Noctis finally choked out. “It _is _lonely.”

Prompto looked physically pained. Tentatively, he reached out and gently placed his hand on Noctis.

“You know, you could talk about it. If you want that is.” Prompto gave him an encouraging smile. “I know from experience that somethings need to be talked about. Even if it brings up some things you’d rather not think about.”

Noctis was momentarily distracted by Prompto’s admission. He couldn’t imagine what someone as kind and genuine as Prompto had to suffer thought to give him experience. Noctis filed that thought away for a later time. For now, he was going to let go and just talk. Talk about things he hardly even brought up with Ignis or Gladio.

Noctis opened his mouth and began.


	20. "Change is annoyingly difficult."

Prompto had never thought about the challenges a young royal like Noctis had to endure. Being the public eye was one thing, but actually having people befriend him just for some prestige? Especially when he was just a child? It was heartless and Prompto sincerely hoped that those people got some sort of karmic pay back later in life.

Listen to Noctis open up about the more depressing parts of his like just made Prompto feel even more lucky. Never in a million years did he think that he’d gain the princes trust like this. Honestly, he never thought he’d gain anyone confidence like this. Prompto thought that he was doomed to have casual friends. Luna was incredible and they were close, but she lived miles away. They’d never even met in person before. Having someone close, close enough that they’re just a cab ride away, it was a new experience for Prompto. One he planned on holding on to with all his might.

Desert had been delivered to the table a while ago, along with a small box of leftovers. By the time they finished their sweet treat, the conversation had shifted back to it’s light hearted tone.

“I’m stuffed.” Prompto sighed happily. “That was so good. I’m going to be dreaming of this cake for days.”

“I wonder if Ignis can make it.” Noctis wondered out loud.

“He bakes?”

“Yeah. He’s pretty good at recreating recipes too. Its, a weird obsession of his actually. He gets really into it.”

Prompto snorted. “Dude, he’s should totally be on one of those cooking shows. I bet he’d wipe out the competition.”

“Probably.” Noctis agreed. “But I don’t think the council would like it if the advisor to the prince was on a reality TV show. The press would probably love it, though.”

“As a member of the press, I can say that yes, I would love it.” Prompto joked. Noctis rolled his eyes, laughing.

Gathering up their leftovers, Prompto and Noctis headed to the gondolas. Prompto thanked Weskham profusely for the amazing meal and promised to visit again soon. The man grinned warmly and shook his hand and then pulled the prince in for a side hug. Soon after, they boarded the gondola.

The night was calm and peaceful. The water in the canals were sparkling with all the lights that surrounded their path. Prompto felt his hand itch for his camera, but he had left it in his hotel. It didn’t feel right to bring it on a date. Unable to help himself, Prompto pulled out his phone and opened his camera app.

“It looks pretty.” Noctis commented.

“Yeah.” Prompto agreed. “Looks pretty good on my phone too. Wish I had my camera thought. My phone doesn’t really do it justice.”

“You could have brought it, y’know. I wouldn’t have minded.”

“It’s okay. I’ve still got a few days here. I can come back tomorrow night for the perfect shot.”

“Hey, what got you into photography?” Nocits asked suddenly. “Has it always just been your thing?”

Prompto thought for a moment. “I guess? I don’t know, I guess I was always a pretty distracted kid. I couldn’t never really focus on what was in front of me. I just kept looking for more interesting stuff. After a while, looking wasn’t enough. I wanted to keep it.”

“So photography.”

“Yep. My parents got me my first digital camera after they got tired of me using their phones to take pictures all the time. Although, I think the camera just made them more annoyed with me.”

“Annoyed? Why would you say that?”

And maybe there was something in the air that night. Or maybe it was just due to the fact that Noctis had already shared so much of himself. Or maybe, Prompto just felt comfortable enough to say what was truly on his mind. For once, he didn’t hold back talking about his parents. He didn’t skirt around the issue or abruptly change the subject. Prompto spoke honestly.

“Because it’s true.” He said bluntly. “I don’t think they really thought things through when they adopted me. I don’t think they were really ready to be parents. They didn’t’ really have the time for me. I turned out pretty good, but…things would have been a helluva a lot easier if they actually _liked_ me.”

The silence that hung in the air was startling. Even the water lapping against the side of the boat seemed muted. Prompto’s hands had dropped to his lap, his screen still lit up with the most recent picture he took. Prompto refused to turn his head too look at Noctis reaction.

“_Fuck_…” he swore quietly. “Sorry, Noct. I—I didn’t mean for things to get so heavy. Sometimes I just, I just don’t think before I talk. Sorry.”

Noctis took a deep breath before he spoke. “You don’t have anything to apologize for, Prom. _I’m _sorry. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”

Prompto felt his heart swell with the pure amount of care in Noctis’ voice. The prince may be good at acting poised on TV, but he wore his emotions so brazenly when he was relaxed. It was like he bottled them up all day long and only let them show when he was in company he trusted. The fact that he was one of those people made Prompto feel incredible.

“It’s okay.” Prompto replied. “We’ve both had some shitty times. I had to grow up pretty fast as a kid after I figured out my parents weren’t always going to be there for me. They provided me with a lot, even helped me get my apartment, but I missed out on a lot.”

Noctis moved closer, his arm tentatively wrapped around Prompto’s shoulder. The simple action gave him more courage to keep on talking.

“Change…sucks sometimes. It’s annoyingly difficult when all you want to do curl up in a ball and sleep.” Prompto leaned into Noctis’ embrace, the tension in his shoulders easing. “But it’s worth it. It’s so worth it. I managed to change how I saw myself, how I experienced things. It was hard without having anyone to fall back on, but I did it. And…and I’m _happier_ now. I’ve never been more content with myself. And that’s good. I’m—I’m doing good Noct. So don’t feel sorry for me, okay? Yeah, I’ve got a sob story, but I managed to change it. That’s what’s important.”

Prompto finally turned to looked at Noctis. The prince’s dark blue eyes were glowing like the water around them. His lips were parted ever so slightly and Prompto swore he could still smell a hint of chocolate on his breath.

Noctis arm tighten around Prompto, his other hand coming up to gently brush a strand of hair out of Prompto’s eyes. The action made his breath stutter.

In the blink of an eye, Prompto’s hand curled around the prince waist. In another blink, his other hand grasped the front of Noctis’ shirt.

“Prompto…” Noctis voice was husky and low. The sound made Prompto stomach jolt.

“Y-yeah?”

“Can I…?”

Prompto answered by pulling Noctis lips to his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI HELLO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATES. this weekend was far more busy then i thought it would be >.<  
I still have today's prompt to write, but i wanted to write and get the missing days out as soon as a i could. Hope there okay! Thanks for your patience and thanks for reading!


	21. "We could have a chance."

Kissing Prompto was addictive. Every time there lips met there was something new for Noctis to focus on. The softness of his lips. The way his hand grasped his waist. The quiet moan that slipped out of his mouth the second they crashed together once again.

Was this normal? Weren’t first kisses supposed to be awkward and lame? If anything, Noctis was positive that ever other kiss in the whole of Eos sucked compared to the one he and Prompto shared. They couldn’t even come close.

Noctis and Prompto stumbled out of the gondola at the nearest stop. Noctis tipped the man in the boat extra for dealing with their antics. The two boys were practically running through the streets, laughing and grinning wildly. Every once and a while, Noctis would tug on Prompto’s hand or wrap his arm around his waist and pull him in close. It was intoxicating, being around someone who made him feel this way.

Suddenly, Noctis was pulled sideways. Prompto had snuck around him and pulled him into a narrow passageway. There were no lights, except for the faint glow coming from the street they just left. The darkness seemed to give Prompto a new confidence.

Noctis let himself be backed up against the wall. He followed Prompto’s lead as his hands trailed up Noctis’ side, pulling him forward so that their chests were pressed together. Noctis held steady and Prompto slowly leaned forward, kissing him once again.

“I’m so…fucking happy…” Noctis said in between kisses.

Prompto chuckled. “Yeah? Me too.”

“Prom…I’m just—“ More kisses. Trailing from his lips down to his neck.

“What, Noctis?” Prompto buried his face into Noctis neck. He peppered kissing all along his exposed skin making his nerves light up.

“I’m so fucking happy we have this chance.” Noctis said. The words come out in a rush, just as truthful as the last hour had been. They were so lucky to have this chance. The chance to meet, to spend time together, to…

Fall in love.

Because that’s what this is, isn’t it? Love. Noctis had never really imagined love in his future. It always felt so far away. So abstract. Love, as a concept, didn’t really make sense to the young prince. There was so much to do, so much that Noctis _wanted_ to do that finding someone to share his life with almost seemed impossible. One more thing he’d miss out on.

But then he met Prompto, and the world seemed to refocus. If he could find this, this one person that made him feel invincible, then he could do anything. He could _be_ anything.

“Noct?” Prompto whispered. His breath tickled Noctis’ ear.

“Yeah?”

“I’m…I’m glad we had this chance too. I’m glad we were able to take it.” 

Noctis smiled. He wrapped his arms around the blonde, pulling him impossibly closer.

“Promise me something?” he asked.

“What?”

“After we get back to Insomia, back to our normal lives or whatever, promise you won’t leave?” Noctis’ hands clenched, gripping Prompto’s vest. “My life is kind of crazy and well, being around me can be a lot with the press and the public and stuff. But…if you can, just stay? With me? As a friend or s-something _more_… stay?”

Slowly, Prompto leaned back. He gently reached up and flicked Noctis on the forehead.

“As if you could get rid of me.” He grinned. “I’ll be there, Noct. Ever at your side.”


	22. "You can't give more than yourself."

Prompto couldn’t believe he managed to sound so cool. On the outside he seemed confident and cool. On the inside he felt like he was constantly screaming while running in a mad sprint from one side of his head to the other.

They stayed tucked inside their little alley. Hidden from the rest of the world while they just soaked each other up. Prompto couldn’t stop just holding Noctis. Feeling his warmth.

Noctis couldn’t seem to stop trailing his thumb over Prompto’s cheeks. His eyes seemed hypnotized by whatever he saw there. Prompto only hoped it wasn’t his freckles. He away thought they crowded his cheeks and it kind of made him look like a child.

Eventually, Prompto couldn’t help his curiosity.

“What are you looking at?” he asked quietly.

Noctis still had a distracted look in his eyes. “You’re freckles. I want to count them.”

Prompto groaned. “That’s like, literally impossible. And also a little weird.”

“I like them.”

“O-oh…” Prompto hoped that it was dark enough so that Noctis couldn’t tell how flustered that one sentence made him. “Thanks.”

“Wanna make out some more?”

“Hell yeah.”

Noctis used his hand on Prompto’s cheek to his advantage. He tilted Prompto’s head so that their lips slotted together perfectly. Since they were relatively the same height, it was easy for them to come together over and over and over again.

It felt like they had been standing in that alley for hours. It was the perfect little hideaway. A safe spot to push and pull at one another. To figure out what made the other tremble and what made them moan. Prompto would have stayed their all night if they could. He would have stayed there forever, if it wasn’t for someone’s phone interrupting them.

“Son of a—“ Noctis pulled away, quickly reaching into his pocket and fishing out his phone. He grimaced when he looked at the screen. In another quick motion, he hit the call button. “_What_.”

Prompto snorted at the prince. He looked and sounded like an irritated lion about to lash out.

He couldn’t really hear what was being said on the other side, but Prompto guessed that it was either Gladio or Ignis calling to check up. Taking a quick look at his own phone he realized that it was well past midnight. Whoops.

Noctis hung up his phone with a jab of his finger. He looked about ten seconds away from chucking the thing into the nearest canal.

“Let me guess,” Prompt smiled, hopping to calm the prince. “You’re out past your curfew?”

“I don’t have a curfew. I’m not a kid.” Noctis shot back. “But…”

“But?”

“But Gladio said he’s going to kill me if I don’t get back to the hotel in ten minutes.”

Prompto laughed. “Isn’t that like, treason?”

“That’s what I said!”

The pair reluctantly moved away from their hiding space and began their trek back to the hotel. Prompto felt his heart fill up with excitement when Noctis reached over and tangled their fingers together.

The walk to the hotel was over fairly quickly. Prompto was pretty sure he saw Gladio lurking in the lobby, but when he double checked to make sure he was nowhere to be found.

“Guess this is your stop.” Prompto held on to Noctis’ hand tighter. He really didn’t want to let go.

“Yeah. Guess so.”

“I had a great time, Noct. Even though I’m pretty sure I was a nervous wreck for like the first hour.”

Noctis chuckled. “You too, huh? I swear my hands were shaking when I met you at your hotel.”

“We’re just a couple of messes.”

“Looks like it.”

Noctis leaned in, kissing Prompto gently. He pulled back with a frown. “I…I wish I could do more.” He said quietly.

“What do you mean?” Prompto asked.

“I wish that I was normal, y’know? That I didn’t have to cut our night short because of my overprotective retainers. I wish I could give you_ more_.”

Prompto shook his head. “Noctis, you can’t give more than yourself. If you did, you’d be exhausted.”

“I already an exhausted. My favorite hobby is sleeping.” He joked. Prompto tugged on his hand and smiled.

“Yeah yeah, I know, but you know I’m okay, right? I don’t need much else besides you.”

Noctis blushed. “W-well…when you put it that way.”

“Although, if I can make a suggestion. I say that out next date involve more making out in dark corners. That was fun.” He teased.

Noctis rolled his eyes and dove in for another kiss. 


	23. "Patience...is not something I'm known for."

The next two days were filled with an exhausting amount of sweetness. At least, that’s what Gladio thought. He never seen Noctis like this. So utterly consumed with happiness. If he didn’t care about the little princeling so much, it might be annoying.

(Okay, so it was a little annoying. Noctis practically had hearts in his eyes the entire time.)

Gladio was happy for the young prince. Truly, he was. But Gladio was also the only one who seemed to realize the reality of the whole situation. He was the only one who couldn’t stop thinking about what was going to happen after their vacation ended.

It seemed pretty clear that Noctis and Prompto were going to stick together after the delegations in Altissia, that much was certain. However what neither of them wanted to address was what their little courtship was going to be like after they got back to Insomnia.

They might try to keep it a secret. Relationships were personal and it was their right to keep it to themselves. But secrets like that didn’t last long in a city like Insomnia. People there were practically chomping at the bit for a juicy story like that.

If they decided to be public with their relationship, then that would mean Noctis would be coming out to the entire country. There were still plenty of bigoted people in the world. People who refused to accept the beautiful differences in one another. Gladio could protect Noctis from a lot, but he wasn’t sure if he could protect him from that kind of hate.

Coming out was something Noctis talked sparingly about. Gladio could remember a younger prince, maybe just entering high school, talking about what it would be like.

_“It would help a lot of people.”_ _The prince murmured. “People who are afraid. I think…since I’m y’know, me. I think that it would make them happy. To see their prince being so open.” _

_Gladio and Ignis had one of their silent conversations. _

_Ignis took the reins. “I believe it would give many courage, Noctis. But, you must remember, the decision is yours. I know you are confident in yourself. And as you pointed out earlier, everyone important to you knows. Coming out to the whole nation, while beneficial to those in need of representation, is entirely up to you. I wouldn’t want you making that decision because you feel as though you have to. I want you to do it because you want to. One hundred percent.”_

_Noctis had been staring down at his textbook the entire time. His eyes were completely obscured by his messy hair. Gladio felt the urge to say something when Noctis finally sat up. _

_“I think…”he swallowed, looking unsure. “I think I’ll wait. For now. It just…I know it would be good, but it just seems…overwhelming. A lot of people would be judging me.” _

_Gladio could do many things, but in that moment, he was at a loss. As much as he wanted to, as much as tried, he couldn’t change the world by himself. No matter how hard he tried._

Practical thoughts like this had been swirling around his head for the past two days. It was a real downer. He was supposed to be enjoying himself, but all he could think about was the possible fallout that was brewing in the near future. Gladio couldn’t help but wonder if Ignis went through stuff like this on a daily basis. After all, he had to deal with stuff like this all the time. Gladio’s mainly just had to punch people.

All the thoughts running through his head was making it impossible to read. Gladio had woken up early that morning to go for a run and ended up finding a nice little bistro on one of the upper levels of the city. He finished his run shortly after and then cleaned up and headed back to the bistro for breakfast. It was a nice enough place with good coffee that he decided to just stay for a while and possibly finish one of the books he’d brought with him. So far, he’d been too distracted.

They only had until Sunday before King Regis and the others made their way to Altissia. And then after that…

Gladio shoved his bookmark between the pages and snapped the book shut. He was supposed to be enjoying his time, dammit. Not stressing out about things that haven’t happened yet.

The waitress came by with a refill for his coffee. Before Gladio could place an order for one of their tasty looking pastries, a loud commotion down the street caught his attention.

A skinny man in plain looking clothes was sprinting through the crowd. He was cradling something in one arm and using the other to push people out of the way. The man barreled into a couple, knocking them flat before pushing himself up and continuing down his reckless path. Gladio couldn’t help himself. He stood to follow. It wasn’t technically his job to take on any criminal that crossed his path, but Gladio couldn’t help it. The man needed to be stopped before he hurt anyone else.

Suddenly, another noise caught his attention. It was coming from the same place the man had run from.

“S-stop! Someone stop him! _Please_!”

Gladio froze. He may not have known him long, but Gladio could place that voice easily. Sure enough, Prompto came barreling around the corner moments later. He wasn’t nearly as reckless as the other man, weaving around people and yelling at them to watch out. But he was clearly panicked. Gladio’s heart-rate jumped.

Gladio hastily said an apology to the waitress before hurrying out the bistro doors. He shouted at Prompto, stepping into his path to try and slow him down.

“Gladio!” Prompto skidding to a halt, but not by choice. Gladio’s wide frame blocked him from continuing his path.

“Where’s Noct?” the shield demanded. Prompto and Nocits were supposed to be together, and the fact the the prince was no where to be seen had sent Gladio's protective instincts on fire. 

Prompto was clearly distracted. He tried to get around Gladio to no avail.

“Prompto.” He said sternly. He couldn’t wait for an answer. “I’m not exactly a patient guy, so I need an answer. Where is Noct?”

Finally, the blonde spoke. “H-he’s fine. He said he couldn’t keep up with me so he stayed behind.”

“Behind _where_?”

“W-we were near the shopping district. We found an arcade. This guy he—I don’t know how he did it b-but I have to go _now_. Before he gets away.”

“Did what? What happened?”

“He... he stole _my camera_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (lets pretend that im not late posting again. mmmkay? k, thanks, luv u, byeee)


	24. "I could really eat something."

Getting a frantic call from Noctis was certainly not something Ignis expected on their lazy vacation. Even more so, he didn’t anticipate Gladio calling him mere moments later with an update to the event. It was a very stressful twenty minutes to say the least.

It took two hours to recover Prompto’s beloved camera. Although, beloved might be an understatement. Ignis wasn’t sure, but it seemed the young man treasured his camera greatly. It wasn’t just a tool he used for his job or even just a hobby. It was so much more than that.

The police, with the help of Gladio, managed to track down the thief. He was a local and a known pickpocket. The police seemed familiar enough with the man to call him by his first name when they arrested him. Ignis could only hope that the man would receive a harsher punishment this time around.

It all seemed well and fine when Prompto finally got his camera back until the moment he began inspecting it. Ignis watched as Noctis nearly jumped to the blonde’s side when his hands started shaking.

“Prom? What’s wrong? Did he break it?” Noctis asked.

“No…the memory card…it’s gone.” Despite the new smattering of freckles on his arms and cheeks, Prompto was as white as a sheet in that moment.

Sensing something more to that revelation, Ignis calmly ushered them out of the police station and back to their hotel. This probably wasn’t something they should be talking about in public. That would only serve to stress Prompto out more.

Noctis was hovering at Prompto’s side the entire walk back. The prince reached out and held Prompto’s hand tightly. His gaze locking on to the blonde every few steps before if finally fell away.

Once they got back to their hotel room, Prompto spun around to Ignis.

“I’m so sorry.” He said quickly.

Ignis blinked, unprepared for the sudden apology. “Whatever for?” he asked.

“My memory card, it…it had a lot of stuff on it. Stuff of me and Noct over the past couple days.”

_Ah. That, might be a problem, _Ignis thought.

“Its fine, Prompto.” Noctis said quickly.

“No it’s _not_.” The blonde stepped further into the room, distancing himself. “I promised you. All of you, that I wasn’t here to sell pictures of Noct, but that’s exactly what’s going to happen! There was a _so much_ on that memory card. Whoever took it probably thinks they won the damn lottery.”

Noctis looked equal parts panicked and sad. His hands hovered in the air, twitching like he wanted to reach out to Prompto but didn’t know how. The prince was a far more physical oriented being. He always seemed to find it easier to communicate with actions rather than his words. For the first time in a long time, it appeared that he didn’t know what to do.

Ignis stepped forward, gently placing one hand on the distraught blondes shoulder. “Prompto, you have nothing to apologize for.” He said, mustering up all the care he could and aiming it at the young man.

“But…but I messed up…”

“You didn’t mess up anything, blondie.” Gladio huffed. “Some asshole stole from you. It’s their fault and they’re the ones were all mad at.”

“But if I hadn’t taken all those picture, then—“

“You couldn’t have predicted this, Prompto.” Ignis interrupted. “No matter what you might think or what might follow over the next few days, you must know that none of us blame you. And we never will.”

Prompto’s eyes flickered down. His hands were clenched in fists at his side. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. “Thanks. For saying that. I just—gods, this really _sucks_.”

“Tell me about it.” Noctis sighed. Finally, the prince seemed to pull himself out of his stupor. He stood next to Prompto, taking his hand. “It does suck. But, we got your camera back. That’s got to be a relief, right?”

Prompto huffed. “Oh yeah, definitely. I saved up _years_ for that thing. It’s literally my life.”

“Well then, let’s be grateful for that.” Ignis said.

“But what’s going to happen now?” Prompto asked. He still looked worried. “I mean, someone could make a lot of money with those photos. Is there anything we can do?”

“Fortunately, yes.” Ignis pulled out his phone. “I’ll have to make some calls, but if any of those photos are released, we are able to take legal action. You are a private citizen, Prompto, and they are your property. Any publisher that buys them would be taking a huge risk. They might get their fifteen minutes of fame, but I assure you punishment will follow swiftly after that.”

Prompto’s relief was visible. His tense posture melted away at Ignis’ words. Gladio stepped forward, throwing an arm around the blond.

“Since Iggy is going to handle all the hard work, what you two say to orderin’ some room service?”

Noctis groaned. “Yes please. I’m starving.”

“I could definitely eat something right now.” Prompto nodded. “Something terrible and full of carbs.”

“So comfort food?”

“Please. This day has been way too stressful and it’s barely noon.”

“Indeed.” Ignis agreed.

Gladio pulled the two young men further into the sitting room and grabbed the room service menu off the desk. He handed it to Prompto and the three of them began discussing the best types of comfort food.

Ignis made his way to the bedrooms and shut the door. He needed to make a call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not late. ya'll are just early   
:D


	25. "You keep me warm."

There was one public park in Altissia. It was deep in the city center, probably the furthest point from and coast line. It wasn’t a large park, but it was lush. The flowerbeds were bursting with colorful blooms and fluttering butterflies. Large and impressive trees stood tall, their branches reaching out and covering wide parts of the grass in shade. There were a few paths for people to walk, but more often than not, citizens would roam through the grassy landscape.

Noctis had wanted to do something different on his last day. He had an idea of taking Prompto to the aquarium. Altissia was famous for it. It would have been the perfect place for Prompto to let loose and use his camera. He would have loved taking pictures there. But after yesterday’s event, Prompto hadn’t taken a single shot.

It was clear that he still blamed himself for what happened, not matter what Noctis and the others said. Everything had been going so well, it was almost inevitable that something would come along and disrupt it all.

The camera lay next to them, the lens cap on and battery fully charged. It was an odd call back to when they first met. Even though he wasn’t using it, Prompto couldn’t help but bring it along.

The park was a better idea then the aquarium. Less people. Less stress. Ignis had insisted that he and Gladio accompany them and for once Noctis didn’t mind. They were at least discreet about it. The four of them traveled by gondola together to the park, but split off once they were there. Noctis was pretty positive that at least one of his retainers had eyes on them at all times.

Noctis stretched, reaching his hands up towards the canopy of leaves above them. They had been lounging in the shard of one of the giant trees for ages now. Noctis was honestly surprised that he hadn’t fallen asleep yet.

“If you weren’t a prince, what would you want to be?” Prompto asked randomly.

Noctis answered almost instantly. “A cat.”

“Wait, what? Buddy, you can’t be a cat.”

“Try and stop me.”

Prompto laughed. “Why would you want to be a cat? Why not like a professional gamer or a writer or something?”

“Too much work. As a cat, I could sleep anytime, anywhere and no one would question it.”

“Good point.”

Noctis rolled so that he was laying on his side. He looked down at Prompto with a soft smile. “What about you? If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be?”

Prompto stared up at the leaves, his lips pursed. “Not too sure. I think I’d stick with something creative though. Oo, or maybe like a game developer. Wouldn’t that be cool?”

“Yeah. Very cool.”

“I-I have another question.” Prompto said hesitantly. Sometimes it was hard to believe that the bright ball of sunshine that was Prompto got so nervous so easily. It almost didn’t seem to fit his character.

“What’s up?” Noctis asked. He was still looking down at the blonde with that smile.

“Ah…when you get back from all your royal duties…would you, uh, would you want to go out? Like as a welcome home kind of thing?”

Noctis stared at Prompto, his heart pounding. They hadn’t really talked about this. About what would happen after. This was new territory.

Prompto continued to ramble. “There’s this place by my apartment that’s super cool. It’s this big old warehouse that they turned into a mall? Kind of? I don’t know what it is, but calling it a mall feels weird. But there’s like a coffee shop, a bakery, a couple of quick service restaurants and loads of people selling things. Almost like a farmers market, but definitely not cuz like, they sell more than food.”

“I’d like that.” Noctis said quickly. He was learning that if he didn’t talk fast enough, Prompto would ramble for hours. “That sounds fun.”

“Y-yeah? You think?”

“Yeah.”

Prompto shifted, biting his lip. “You sure it’d be okay after, y’know…everything?”

Noctis frowned. He scooted closer to the blonde, looking down at him and trying to bolster his courage. After hesitating for far too long, Noctis laid back down, resting his head on Prompto’s chest. A shaky hand slowly reached out and wrapped around the blondes waist.

“Don’t worry about it, Prom.” Noctis said. Even though he liked Prompto so much that he felt like he was going to burst, it was still hard to be like this. To be so soft and unguarded. Noctis couldn’t help but feel like he owed it to Prompto to show him this part of himself. After all, if they really intended to go ahead with this and make it a real relationship, Prompto was in for one hell of a change. Being attached to royalty in any context has a visible effect. 

A hand came down on the princes back. Noctis tensed for a moment, but then the hand gently began moving up and down. It was soothing as all hell and soon enough the tension in the prince slipped away.

“Y’know,” Prompto started. Noctis could hear his voice rumbling though his chest. “I never pegged you to be the cuddling type, highness.”

Noctis flushed. He sat up abruptly and started down at the blonde. Prompto was grinning like the mischievous little shit he was.

“Shut up.” Noctis crossed his arms and turned so his back was facing his friend.

“Aw, c’mon. It was nice! Honestly I should have expected it. Since your dream job is being a cat and all.”

“I regret being nice to you.”

“No you don’t.” Prompto practically sang as he spoke. It was stupidly cute, but Noctis was refusing to give in. Prompto flung his arms around the prince shoulders, dropping his chin on one and laughing right by Noctis’ ear. “Admit it, you’re a big ‘ole softy on the inside.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “Get off. You’re making me warm.”

“You weren’t complaining when you were laying on me ten seconds ago. Or is it a different kind of heat? Your cheeks are really red…”

“Y-you— okay that’s it, get over here!” Noctis twisted around and pulled Prompto into a headlock. The blonde yelped and began squirming around like a fish on a hook.

“Noct, no!! We’re supposed to be cuddling! Don’t make me tickle you!”

“Sucks for you, I’m not ticklish!”

“Dammit!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Being busy suuuuuuuuucks, but i'm trying homies. I really want to finish this before November. wish me luck lol.  
and of course thanks for reading!!!


	26. "Can you wait for me?"

Of all the dumb things that could have happened today, of course it was this. Even though Noctis talked about sleeping in all the time, this was the first time in the entire week that he actually overslept.

“_I-I’m coming_!” he huffed. He sounded even more out of breath over the phone.

Prompto shuffled back and forth on his feet. The ferry operator was kind enough to wait, but ten minutes was pushing it. There were other passengers who needed to get going. Prompto glances back towards the dock nervously.

“Hey, it’s cool. You don’t have to come. I mean, it’s not like were saying goodbye forever.” He reasoned.

“_I said I would see you off_!” Noctis wheezed. “_I’m almost there. Just—can’t you wait for me a little longer_?”

Prompto looked at the ferry. It looked like there was still people moving around, looking for seats. No one looked impatient. Not yet at least.

“Yeah, I can wait.”

A mere two minutes later, there was a commotion down the street. Noctis came barreling around the corner, unbalanced and wild. Prompto snorted at the gangly prince and wondered just how in the hell that uncoordinated mess was still the coolest person he’d ever met.

Prompto hung up his phone and jogged to meet him half way. Noctis slowed down, clutching his side. His gait was a little stiff.

“Sweet Shiva—my back is killing me.” Noctis grabbed Prompto’s shoulder and leaned heavily on the blonde. “Ignis is going to kill me if I tweaked it again.”

“Why?”

Noctis shrugged. “Oh something about taking care of myself and knowing my limits and blah blah blah, I don’t really know. It’s happened too many times. I’ve kind of drowned it out by now.”

Prompto laughed again. “Dude, you’re hopeless.”

Noctis smiled back. “Yeah, but I got here in time. So it’s a good thing.”

His hand was still on Prompto’s shoulder. It felt so natural, so good, that Prompto never wanted it to leave. But they had to break apart. They had to go their separate ways. Temporarily, of course, but if felt monumental to the pair. Their time in Altissia was special. Almost like the jumped out of reality for a little while and got a chance to know one another. To learn about each other. To…

“I’m going to miss you, Prompto.” Noctis said quietly. “I…I know it won’t be long, but it feels like it. It feels like I’m not going to see you for years.”

“It’s only a week.” Prompto tried to sound reassuring, but he couldn’t help but feel the same. They had to leave their little dream world behind.

“I know. But still.”

“I’ll text you all the time.” Prompto grinned. “I’ll bug you day and night. Oh! And that limited raid is coming up in Kings Knight! We have to video chat that night and team up.”

Noctis smiled. “Yeah, we do. I want those prizes.”

“Same.”

A loud bell chimed behind them. Last call for the ferry.

“Looks like that’s my cue.” Prompto sighed. “I’ll let you know when I get back home. Okay?”

Noctis nodded. “Yeah. Have a safe trip, Prom.”

“Will do. Thanks, Noct. I…I had a lot of fun this week.”

“Me too.”

Prompto fiddled with his phone, suddenly nervous. “Hey Noct—“

Noctis interrupted him with a soft kiss. It was nothing like their rough kisses in the alley days ago. It was slow and sweet and filled with hope. Filled with a promise.

Prompto’s head was spinning long after the kiss had ended. As he stepped on the ferry, he couldn’t help but spin around and look for the prince. Noctis stood alone on the dock, a calm smile on his face. He lifted his hand up and waved. Prompto’s heart was rattled in his chest. He waved back to the prince, smiling wildly.

It didn’t feel like a goodbye. It felt like the start of something new.


	27. "Enough! I've heard enough."

Prompto never got around to updating Luna about his date and he was starting to feel a little guilty about it.

From the ferry in Galdin Quay, to the bus ride back to Insomnia, Prompto’s thoughts jumped back and forth from Noctis to telling his best friend about Noctis. Everything was pretty much centered on the prince either way.

An hour away from home, Prompto texted Luna, asking her if she had time to video chat that night. The response was almost instant, filled with exclamation points and emojis.

It was well into night by the time Prompto got home. His apartment was in one of the outer districts. A nice enough place to live, but crowed with small families and young professionals just starting out. It was a place where people got their barring. Where they figured out the confusing game of life and figured out who they wanted to be. It wasn’t really the type of neighborhood where people settled down to grow old in.

Prompto live on the fourth floor of a giant building. It was a one bedroom. But he was lucky enough to be on a corner. He had wide windows that gave him great views of the sparkling city lights.

Prompto dropped his stuff (minus his camera bag) down near the front door and proceeded to flop down on the couch with a groan. He really hated traveling all day. After sending a quick text to Noctis, Prompto forced himself up and dug his laptop out of his bag. He turned it on and sent another text, this time to Luna.

A few minutes later, his friend popped up on his computer screen.

“Hey Luna.” Prompto waved.

It was a few hours later in Tenebrae, but Luna look far more awake then Prompto. Her hair was hanging loosely around her face. “_Prompto. I’ve been waiting patiently for four days. Tell me everything_!”

Even thought he was tired as all hell and ready to just crash, Prompto laughed and readied himself to sit up all night and chat with his friend.

They had been talking for well over an hour. Prompto forgot just how much he missed Luna. It’d been a while since they just talked the night away. Too long in fact.

Luna had brought up the date pretty much right away and Prompto, being eager to talk more about Noctis, jumped right into things. Of course, one of the very first things Prompto had to bring up was the identity of his mysterious date.

“Okay so, this is going to sound totally fake. But I promise it’s true!”

Luna laughed. “_Alright, I’m listening.”_

He took a breath. “SO. The uh, they guy that I’m seeing, you kind of know him. Well, most people know him.”

“_Really? Oh! Is he some sort of celebrity! You have to tell me who it is_!”

“I’m getting there Luna, geeze.” Prompto laughed. “So he’s not technically a celebrity. Like he’s not an actor or anything. But he is in the limelight a lot.”

“_Enough teasing_, _Prompto! You are literally killing me. I’m dying thousands of miles away in Tenebrae_.”

“Okay, okay! Uh, wow this is weird to say, but um. The guy I went out with? They one I’m kind of, maybe it a relationship now with, is P-Prince Noctis.”

Silence. Luna was starting at her screen with wide eyes.

“Um, Luna? Did…did you hear me?”

Still silence.

“Did I break you? Oh my gods, I’ve actually killed you. Ravus is going to come after me, isnt’ he?”

Luna blinked and in the next moment, a loud squeal nearly burst the laptop speakers. “_Prompto!! Oh, I can’t believe it! You and the prince! It’s so wonderful_!”

“Y-yeah, he’s pretty great. Don’t let all that fancy stuff you see on TV fool you. He’s a totally nerd.” Prompto joked.

“_You two probably hit it off right away then.”_ She teased. “_Prompto, you must tell me everything. I’ve had enough of reality and I’m ready to hear a fairy tale_.”

“Alright, alright. But first I’m gonna order some take out. I’ve got a feeling were going to be talking for a while.”


	28. "I'm doing this for you."

Ignis had quiet the busy week. It was hard enough being an advisor to royalty, however being an advisor to Noctis was quiet like herding cats. You had to get creative.

The delegations in Altissia went off without a hitch, partially due to the fact that Ignis kept Noctis phone hostage throughout the day so that he wouldn’t be tempted to text Prompto every minute of every hour.

“Give me back my phone, Specs!”

Ignis held the device in his left hand while his right was currently pushing the prince away. They looked like a pair of toddlers fighting over a toy.

“I’ll give it back at the end of the day, Noct.” Ignis said firmly. “I’m doing this for your own good and the good of the delegations.

“But Prom—“

“Can wait. He understands your responsibilities and I imagine he had his fair share of tasks to complete as well. After all, he does have quiet the time consuming job.”

Noctis finally stopped squirming and frowned. With a huff, he finally relented. “Fine. Can I at least tell him bye?”

“Very well.” Ignis handed the prince back his phone. When the message was sent, Noctis reluctantly handed the phone back. “Wonderful. Now that you’re ready, let’s go over the notes for today…” 

The rest of their time in the waterfront city was pleasant enough. Though Noctis never really said it out loud, he was happy to spend time with his father outside of the stuffy Citadel walls. So happy in fact, that Noctis might have even shared some tidbits about a certain blonde that entered his life not too long ago. The King looked absolutely ecstatic. 

And of course, being the sensible young man that he was, Ignis texted Gladio almost immediately.

**Ignis:** _Noctis spoke to His Majesty about Prompto._

**Gladio:** _You know what that means._

**Gladio:** _Blondie is here to stay._

**Ignis:** _Indeed. I think he might balance out our retinue quite nicely._

**Gladio:** _Didn’t their used to be a royal photographer? Someone who worked in the PR department?_

**Ignis:** _I believe so. Perhaps I could look into that when we get home._

**Ignis:** _However first I have other matters to address first._

**Gladio:** _The stolen memory card?_

**Ignis:** _Yes._

There had been no new information about Prompto’s stolen memory card. No candid pictures of the prince popping up on the internet or in a magazine. There was nothing online about selling exclusive photos or even boasting about them anywhere. It was like the memory card simply vanished.

Ignis wondered if the person behind the theft realized their mistake. Not only did the steal, but they were also tampering in royal business. The crown had some of the best lawyers in the country in their midst. Releasing a few personal photos of the prince wasn’t worth the legal trouble, at least in Ignis’ opinion.

Whatever the case, a week had passed without the young advisor hearing a peep about the photos. That is until, their last night in Altissia.

The banquet was a public event. Meaning, a whole manner of press was invited. Ignis had his hands full coordinating Noctis’ outfit, speech and small interviews. Gladio of course was stationed right behind Noctis the entire night. Both of them were close enough to the prince that it took them completely by surprise when Noctis pulled them into the kitchen with an envelope clutched in his hands.

“Noct? What is it?” Ignis asked concerned.

“Yeah. And what the hell is that?” Gladio asked gruffly.

Noctis frowned. “No idea. Someone gave it to me.”

“Who?” Ignis asked, his worry spiking.

“Didn’t see who it was. It was during the press line up. When we were shaking hands and stuff. Someone just, shoved this in my hand.”

Gladio snatched the envelope away. “It could be dangerous.”

“It’s paper.” Noctis rolled his eyes.

“It’s an envelope. We don’t know what’s inside.” Gladio held up the envelope to the light, trying to get some idea of what was inside. His frown only deepened.

“Gladio?” Ignis couldn’t really telling if the shield frown was a bad one or just a confused one. It was hard to distinguish one from the other.

“What the hell…” Without saying anything else, Gladio ripped open the envelope and dumped out the contents into his palm. A small, square object tumbled into his hand.

Noctis spoke first. “Wait, is that…” he picked up the small device and flipped it over. The memory card had two tiny letters written on the plastic. P.A. “This is…Prompto’s memory card? Wait, they gave it back?”

Ignis looked at the bewildered shield and prince. “Is there anything else in the envelope?” he asked Gladio. “A note of some kind?”

“Let me check.” Gladio opened the envelope once and again and pulled out a folded piece of paper. It looked like it had been from a hotel note pad but the name had been ripped off. Ignis took the note and read it aloud.

“_’These are far more valuable to you then they’ll ever be to me. Sorry. Hope this makes up for taking them in the first place.’_” Ignis scanned the short letter again. “That…that’s it. They didn’t write a name.”

And maybe they should have been a little more concerned that someone had gotten close enough to the prince to slip him the envelope without being seen, but neither Gladio or Ignis could focus on that. All they could see was the wide, relieved smile on their prince’s face.

“I can’t wait to tell Prompto.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***So spoilers for the movie i based this on*** 
> 
> In the movie I lowkey based this on, the reporter and the princess like have these fun adventures in Rome, but all the while the reporter is working with a photographer to take pics of the princess so that he can write an article about her. There's this big thing, she has to return to her royal duties after basically running away from them at the start, mr. reporter realizes 'hey whoa, i actually really like this girl' and decides not to write the article. He tells the photographer that he can sell the photos if he likes.   
Next day, the princess is all taken aback because the guy she likes is there (she didn't know he was a reporter). the do an interview, and then afterwords the princess wants to meet the press individually. she goes down a line, getting to her boo last. the photographer who followed them on their day of fun/love actually gives her the photos. he doesn't sell them like he could have. The princess thanks the reporter and then leaves.   
The move ends kind of bittersweet. We don't see if they reconnect. they just basically go their separate ways even thought it's clear both parties care deeply for one another. 
> 
> It's a great movie, but there was no way i hell i was going to leave the ending that ambiguous for mah boys lol. They deserve all the happy endings.   
Anywho, i ramble. Thanks for reading! Almost there!!


	29. "I'm with you, you know that."

Bright and early Monday morning, Prompto got a call from his boss. He had been at work for about an hour, hoping that somehow Vyv would totally forget about the one slightly blurry picture he sent while in Altissia. The picture that Noctis took was literally the only thing he sent in. Prompto had written a short message in his email to Vyv, but never got a response.

Apparently Vyv wanted to have a discussion in person.

Prompto tentatively entered his boss’s office. “H-hey Vyv. You wanted to see me?”

“Morning, Prompto.” Vyv answered. His tone was perfectly casual. “Would you mind closing the door?”

“Yeah! Yeah s-sure.” Prompto gulped. That was a sure sign that they were going to have a serious discussion.

Was Vyv going to be mad that Prompto didn’t get a good photo? The company had paid for his trip, paid for his hotel. Since he pretty much failed and spent his time hanging out with Noctis instead, would they penalize him for that? Take the money spent out of his pay?

There were way too many possibilities and Prompto was quickly spiraling.

“So, how was the trip? Did you do okay on the ferry? Mina mentioned that you get a little motion sick sometimes.” Vyv asked. He seemed…completely normal? They usually talked like this after a job that took Prompto out of town, but honestly he was expecting more. Prompto was fully expecting to get into trouble.

“Oh,uh…it was fine.” He answered. “The ferry wasn’t the best, but it’s not big deal. I took a nap both ways which helped a little.”

“Yeah, I do the same thing sometimes. Buses for me though. Don’t know why, but I do not do well on buses.”

Prompto laughed nervously. “Ha, y-yeah. Weird.”

“Hey, so I wanted to talk about this photo you sent…” Vyv turned back to his computer and flipped his monitor around. The messy picture Noctis took was blown up on the screen. “Did the prince really catch you?”

Prompto quickly tried to remember the bullshit story he made up when he first sent the picture. “Oh yeah! It was totally weird. I uh, got spotted by a Crownsguard first like, a day before this? And I was taking a break and the prince just like, sat down and started talking to me.”

“Yeah? What’d he say?”

“Just like basic stuff. Oh and he totally knew who I was.” That at least, was true.

“Damn. I was hoping that he was one of those royals who didn’t pay attention to the press. Guess it was kind of risky sending you when you were at the museum interview too.”

Prompto nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I was surprised too. I’m pretty used to being invisible, y’know?”

Vyv hummed in agreement. After a few moments of arguing with himself, Prompto sat up.

“Hey, sorry I couldn’t get anything more. I…I know it was an important assignment.”

Vyv waved him off. “Its fine, Prompto. Even thought we did get what we set out for, we still might get a fun little story out of this. I’m thinking we play up the humor of the situation. Maybe poke fun at ourselves for trying too hard. People like it when big companies make fun of themselves.”

“That’s true. Hey, maybe the title can be like ‘Prince outwits Photographer!’ or like, just a big red ‘Busted’ at the top. Y’know.”

Vyv chuckled. “Yeah, that might work. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for doing the job. It was a last minute thing and you stepped up.”

“O-oh. Thanks. It was really no biggy.”

“Whatever you say. Take it easy Prompto. See you later.”

Prompto hopped out of his seat. “Thanks Vyv. See you!”

* * *

Vyv tapped his fingers on his desk absently. It was hard to fault Prompto when the guy was so earnest and good. Sure, he could flex his authority and penalize the kid, but what was the point? He was just doing what he felt was right. Vyv may have done some less than legal things in his early days a reporter, but that was different. He loved being a reporter. He thrived in that world. Prompto was an artist. The only reason he worked for the magazine was because it paid his bills. Prompto wasn’t going to stoop low just to get a story. He had better things to do. Bigger goals.

Vyv’s cell phone buzzed on his desk. He glanced down at the name and stood to close his office door.

He swiped the screen to answer. “Hey, Cassius. How’s the weather?”

The man on the other end huffed. “_Hot as Ifrit’s balls_.”

Vyv laughed. “I bet. So, are you okay with what we talked about?”

Cassius sighed. “_I’m with you on this, you already know that_.”

“I know. Just wanted to make sure. It would have been a helluva pay day.”

“_And then a helluva lawsuit. No, this is one scoop I’m ready to walk away from. Feels too personal_.”

“Yeah. Too personal.” Vyv opened an email from Cassius that arrived days ago. He clicked on the attached file. A whole flood of photos crowed his screen. They were all brilliant. Framed perfectly, catching it’s subjects in moments of truth and pure happiness. Vyv wasn’t lying when he said that Prompto would be perfect for his kind of job. The kid really had a talent for making the mundane something magical.

There were so many candid photos of the prince, it was incredible. There were probably more photos here then had ever been released by the crown. Popping up randomly were photos of the princes shield and advisor too, looking more like the young men they were then ever before. It was like a glimpse into a lost world. A world where these kids were allowed to just be kids.

Way, way too personal to leak to the public.

Vyv closed the file and dragged it to the trash bin on his desktop. He then permanently deleted the digital bin so he wouldn’t be tempted in the future.

“_I’m going to slip the card back to either the prince or his retainers on the day of the banquet. Whichever is easiest. I deleted the backup on my side this morning_.”

“Sounds good. I just deleted mine.”

“_I think we’re getting soft, Vyv_.” Cassius joked. “_I know I’ve been in this game way too long. I should retire_.”

“You’d get bored in a week.”

“_Yeah, you’re probably right_.” 

“Well, have fun in Altissia for the next few days. Hope you don’t melt in all that sunshine.” Vyv smirked even though Cassius couldn’t see him.

“_Fuck you too, Vyv_.”

“Hey I’m your boss. Have some respect.”

“_I’m a decade older than you. I’ve earned the right to swear whenever I want_.”

“That’s fair.”

Vyv and Cassius said a short goodbye before hanging up. Even though he lost out on a juicy story, Vyv felt content. Maybe if he was lucky, Prompto would throw him a bone and let the magazine be the ones who broke the news of the prince’s new boyfriend.

Maybe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> almost there...almost there...


	30. "Scared, me?"

It felt so surreal opening his front door to see Noctis standing there. It was so weird seeing him home, in Insomnia. All that time in Altissia felt like a dream and seeing Noctis, in the flesh for the first time in over a week, it finally clicked in Prompto’s brain that all of it was _real_. Meeting the prince, hanging out, going on dates…

_It was all real._

“Hey.” Noctis smiled.

“Hey.” Prompto almost felt breathless. Was this normal? Probably not.

“I uh, I brought those movies?” Noctis held up a bag. He looked a little nervous, which was insane. Prompto was the nervous wreck.

“Oh, awesome! I grabbed some snacks on my way home. C’mon in!” Prompto stepped aside and quickly ushered the prince in. He quickly glanced down the hallway and noticed a Crownsguard stationed down the hall. For some reason, it made him laugh.

“Wow. You really do have an obsession with chocobos.”

Prompto spun around. Okay so, maybe he should have hidden some of the chocobo related things in his apartment. In the living room alone there was a throw blanket, a lamp, a clock (which didn’t actually work, but it’s a collectable so it’s not like he could just get rid of it), a set of coasters and figurine on the bookshelf. At least Prompto decided to upgrade his dishware last year. Otherwise they’d be eating and drinking out of chocobo china.

“It’s not an obsession, Noct. It’s a lifestyle.” He argued. Noctis chuckled and looked at him fondly.

“Have you ever been out to Wiz’s Chocobo Post? It’s literally the best ranch in all of Eos.”

Prompto’s eye nearly bugged out of his skull. “Of course I have! Where do you think I got all this stuff? Here, sit down. Let me show you something.”

For the next hour, Noctis and Prompto sat side by side on the little couch, looking at all four of Prompto’s giant photo albums of his adventures at Wiz’s Chocobo Post. It wasn’t the most romantic settings for their first date after a long time apart, but Prompto didn’t think the prince minded. Especially when Noctis leaned into Prompto’s side and wrapped an arm around his waist.

After chocobo talk, Noctis popped open the first bag of chips and started filling in Prompto about all the things he did in Altissia after he left. He talked about boring meetings and fancy dinners, getting introduced to every high ranking official from the allied countries. He talked about the food, how sometimes he missed the street food they indulged in during their time together. He talked about his dad (which, oh yeah, he’s the king. Prompto kept forgetting about that) and how they spent one afternoon fishing together in one of the spots around the city. His dad got so excited when he managed to hook as fish that he jumped up and nearly fell into the water after his bad knee wobbled. Apparently the kings Shield had a mini heartattack, but both Noctis and the King laughed when they realized he was fine.

And, of course, Noctis talked about the flash drive.

“Almost forgot about it.” He pulled it out of his pocket, handing it back to Prompto. “We still have no idea who took it, but I guess they realized how much shit they’d be in and gave it back.”

Prompto sighed in relief. “Thank the gods. I was seriously losing my mind about this.”

“You had no reason to worry, Prom. It wasn’t you fault.”

“I…I know. But, well I overheard Ignis and Gladio talking one day and…” Prompto hesitated.

“And what?”

“Well, you’ve never really told the public that you’re interested in guys. There’s always been rumors, but there’s rumors about literally everybody. I mean, people talked about me behind my back all the time in high school. It’s just a shitty thing people do.”

Noctis looked a little disgruntled when he mentioned high school, but Prompto kept going.

“You can’t say it hasn’t been on your mind. What people would say when it comes out about that you’re dating me. I was worried about the photos because I thought that if somebody leaked them, then you’d have to come out to the world before you were ready. That…that would be a really terrible thing to have to do, y’know?”

Noctis looked taken aback. His deep blue eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open slightly. He blinked a few times, clamping his mouth shut and turning away.

“Uh, Noct? You…did I say something weird?” Prompto asked, worried.

“N-no…no your fine, Prom. It’s just— dammit that really freaking thoughtful and I don’t know what to say. Also to be honest, I hadn’t really thought about all that.”

“Wait, really? You didn’t?”

“No. I…well I was just…” The tip’s on Noctis’ ears were turning bright red.

“You just what?” Prompto asked gently.

“…I was having such a great time with you that I kind of forgot, about that stuff. About the press and coming out and whatever.” Noctis shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant but missing the mark. “I don’t know, I guess I just don’t really care what everyone says because I’ve got you. You…you’re a good distraction or whatever.”

Prompto was smiling so wide that his cheeks hurt. “Well, I’ve got to say, that was the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Noctis’ huffed. “If it was, then I’m really shitty at this whole boyfriend thing.”

Prompto felt his stomach twist. “S-so ah, I’ve got to ask, cuz well, you know how I need clarification sometimes.”

Noctis smiled and nodded.

“Cool, so uh, we’re _dating_ right? Like, I know you just called me your boyfriend and I’m pretty sure I said we were dating earlier but I honestly don’t remember, and I just uh…want to be sure? We’re dating, right? You’re my boyfriend and vice versa?”

“Yes, Prompto. We’re dating.”

“Fuck yeah.” Prompto said quietly. “Dude, ten year old me is losing his mind right now. I had a huge crush on you when I was a kid. I mean, so did everyone in my class, but still. I won. Suck it all the other kids I used to know!”

Noctis laughed out loud, clutching his stomach. Prompto, a little dazed by just how good Noctis’ looked with that big smile, joined in a few moments later. It was a whole minute before Noctis was able to catch his breath.

“You…you’re such a nerd.” He gasped, grinning.

“Yup. But I’m your nerd.” Prompto smiled back.

“Yeah, you are. Now come on. I was promised scary movies and enough junk food to make Ignis faint. Let’s get this night started.”

Prompto jumped up. “Hell yeah! Do we want pizza or burritos for our main course?”

“Pizza. No veggies!”

“Yeah yeah, I know.” Prompto hurried to the fridge where the menu for the pizza place he liked hung on the door. “So what’s the first movie on the agenda?” he asked.

Noctis dug around is his bag and pulled out a DVD case. He had a simply evil look on his face. “_Daemon Nights_.”

Prompto froze, his stomach squirming. “Uh, isn’t that the one based off a true story? About those hunters the wondered into the Malmalam Thicket and never came back out?

“Uh huh.”

“O-oh. Cool. Awesome. Yeah.”

“Prompto…are you _scared_?”

“Scared? Me? _Pft_, no way, Noct! I’m just uh… I’m just gonna grab something from my room real quick.”

“If it’s a giant chocobo plush, I’m going to lose my shit.”

“…his name is Gregory.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more to go


	31. "I might just kiss you."

A few months later:

“So this is actually happening.” Prompto murmured. Noctis’ watched as his excitable boyfriend paced back and forth in front of the large painting. Since the last time Noctis had been at the small museum, the exhibition had changed. His mother would have loved all the flowers present in the collection. It was like walking through a field.

“Yep. It’s happening.” Noctis said, his lips quirked in a small smile. “You know, you did agree to this. Actually it was your idea.”

“I know! I- I know but like, are we sure I’m ready for this? I mean, I practice what I’m going to say when I order food. How am I going to get through this interview?”

“By stop thinking about it like it’s an interview and just pretending it’s a normal conversation. Besides, I’ll be there. It’s not like you’re going out there alone.”

Prompto blushed, finally putting an end to his pacing. “Thanks, Noct.”

“Anytime, Prom.”

“Y’know, with you acting all calm and cool, I might just end up kissing you out there.”

Now it was Noctis’ turn to blush. “I mean, you could just kiss me _now_…”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Prompto quickly closed the distance between the pair. He pull Noctis close with a hand on his neck and kissed the prince like it was the most important thing he was ever going to do. Noctis felt like he didn’t exist beyond the points where Prompto touched him. The hand on his waist, chests pressed together, fingers running though his hair. And of course, the lips that seem bound to his own.

Every kiss with Prompto felt like this. Like, for a moment, nothing else mattered but the action and the feelings poured into it. Nothing could distract them, or pull them away. It was just the two of them, Prompto and Noctis, indulging in one another.

Noctis hadn’t said it out loud yet. Not to Ignis or Gladio or even Prompto himself. It seemed pretty clear that his dad knew. Judging by the content smiles the king wore when he looked at them and the warmth in his voice when they spoke. Maybe the old king had figured it out from his own experiences. After all, when you fall in love so quickly and so deeply, you develop a keen eye to spot it in other people.

It had been hardly anytime at all since Noctis met Prompto but he was so sure of his feelings that it hurt. He _loved_ the cheerful blonde. He loved his freckles and his smile, his sense of humor and his kindness. Noctis loved his talent and his passion for everything he did. He loved Prompto so much, it was hard to contain it.

Noctis knew what he was feeling was real. He knew it wouldn’t fade. But still, he waited. He waited to say it out loud so that no one would be able to doubt him. They wouldn’t understand. And that was fine. They didn’t need too. Loving Prompto, it was something precious. Something that Noctis would hoard selfishly.

Prompto was the first to pull away, his cheeks pink and eyes bright. He was smiling. “Any chance we can show up late and make up in a closet somewhere?”

Noctis laughed. Before he could respond, someone else cut it.

“Absolutely not.” Ignis chided.

The prince groaned. “Way to ruin the moment, Ignis.”

“Well your _moment_ was about to interrupt our schedule. I promise you can get back to whatever it is after the interview.”

Prompto chuckled nervously. “Oh yeah…the interview. So like, remind me again why I’m here?”

“Because you volunteered to be with Noct when he decided to do this. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t it your idea?”

“Yeah. I’m starting to hate my past self.”

Noctis tugged on Prompto’s hand. “It’s just nerves. You’ll be fine. Even I get nervous in front of a camera.”

“You do?”

“Hell yeah he does.” Gladio appeared out of nowhere. He dropped a heavy arm on Prompto’s shoulders and launched into a story. “I remember back in the day when he had to give his first speech on live TV. He threw up right before he had to go on, right on Ignis’ shoes.”

“W-what?” Prompto sputtered, holding back a laugh. “Wait seriously? Why is this the first time I’m hearing about it?”

Noctis elbowed Gladio in the stomach. “Because I thought we agreed never to talk about that again, _Gladiolus_.”

Gladio laughed.

“Now, if were all done, I believe it’s time to begin.” Ignis stepped back and gestured to the wide doorway.

On the other side, there was a small crew made up of a bubbly reporter and several cameras, all ready to capture the official announcement of Prince Noctis' secret (although, not anymore) boyfriend. It was a small hurtle to jump, but one that was important never the less.

Before they headed out, Noctis grabbed Prompto’s hand. “Hey, you ready?”

The blond squeezed his hand back and smiled. “Always. Lead the way, Noct.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love these boys, all of them, and they deserve a soft ending :D  
Thanks for reading y'all! Even thought i didn't technically finish on time, i'm still glad i was able to finish. This was so fun to write and i hope you all enjoyed the ride. Thanks again <3 <3 <3 <3


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